


Young Avengers: Mother Knows Best

by PrinceofSpaceGays5



Series: Young Avengers Assemble [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Young Avengers (Comics)
Genre: Al Ewing New Avengers, Bi Love, Bi Romance, Billy and Tommy are Maximoffs, Demonic Possession, Demons, Gay Love, Gay Romance, God bashing, Hell, M/M, Mind Control, Superheroes, Young Avengers In The MCU, Young Avengers Vol. 2 (2013), demonic, hell goddess, implied sex, new avengers (2015), young avengers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:21:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 38,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21673600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrinceofSpaceGays5/pseuds/PrinceofSpaceGays5
Summary: A year after forming their team, the Young Avengers are a well-oiled machine and are in the middle of a war with the criminal syndicate, the Maggia. However, as the Young Avengers finally put an end to the Maggia threat to the city, a darker evil emerges with Billy at the center of it all. A demonic entity known as "Mother" lusts for Billy's power for her nefarious agenda and uses a resurrected Loki as her pawn. Just who is Mother and why does she want Billy? And will the Young Avengers stand a chance against Mother when even the Avengers fall under her spell?
Relationships: Kate Bishop/Tommy Shepherd, Noh-Varr/Tommy Shepherd, Teddy Altman/Billy Kaplan, Wiccan/Hulkling
Series: Young Avengers Assemble [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1537639
Comments: 8
Kudos: 32





	1. C.L.A.T.

**Author's Note:**

> Howdy, y'all! And welcome to Young Avengers: Mother Knows Best. As you can tell from the tags, this story takes major inspiration from Young Avengers Vol. 2 as well as Al Ewing's initial run of New Avengers (2015). If you read those stories then you should have an idea of where things are going, but things will get twistier, especially with Mother as she has a new backstory. Sit back and enjoy this rollercoaster!

Chapter 1: C.L.A.T.

In the middle of the day, gunfire echoed on the streets of Brooklyn, while civilians fled in terror. Armed men flooded the streets with body armor over their clothing as they showed complete disregard for everyone in sight. The police struggled to contain the threat as they were forced to keep behind their squad cars for safety.

A cop covered his head when the squad car’s window shattered from the bullet fire. He grabbed his hand-held and made another effort to request backup. “Maggia are firing upon officers and civilians. Maggia are equipped with high-grade weapons. We need immediate backup.”

A youthful voice responded on the comms. “Backup inbound, Mr. Officer. Leave the Maggia to us.”

The cop questioned the responder only to see sparks of blue light gather everywhere. The blue light solidified that created a barrier to contain the Maggia to a set perimeter and ensured the safety of both civilians and the cops.

Slowly, a figure descended from the sky, wrapped in blue magic. Billy Maximoff, aka Wiccan, landed near the cops with his red cape and dark hair billowing in the wind as he stood dressed in his uniform. His eyes retained their gentle, brown irises as he kept his hands raised while he maintained his barrier spell. “Don’t mind me,” said Billy. “My job is to contain this mess. The rest of my team has this problem covered.”

Across the street, the Maggia began to rethink their strategy as Billy’s barrier meant they weren’t going to win this fight easily.

“What next, boss?” asked a Maggia member with a small scar on his face.

The man in a dark suit cocked the trigger of his gun. “Clear the area. The junior Avengers are too meddlesome to deal with.”

Green waves blurred passed the Maggia commander with a fist rapidly striking another Maggia member in the face. The Maggia member crashed into a nearby car as Tommy Maximoff, aka Speed, came into a clear view as his silver hair blew in the breeze his running created. He stood dressed in his tight, green and white uniform. “Junior Avengers? At least get our name right.” Tommy ran out of the way just as the Maggia started to shoot at the spot he stood.

Tommy reappeared as he was swinging around a nearby streetlight. “Young Avengers, assemble!”

The Maggia started to fire at the streetlight but missed as Tommy ran. The bullets barely pierced the bricks of a nearby building, but no civilians were harmed.

“Quit showboating!” A shield with the American flag painted over it slammed into another Maggia member as Eli Bradley, aka Patriot, joined the fray in his white and blue, starred uniform. He tossed his shield at another Maggia member before snapping his fingers.

Jumping from his shoulder, a tiny figure grew to adult size and tackled another Maggia member. Cassie Lang, aka Stature, dressed in her red and black uniform, smirked at the Maggia. She repelled herself from the man and shrank back down before going full-sized a second time to punch another in the face.

“Hi, boys!” said Cassie. “How are we doing today? We done terrorizing people?”

When the Maggia tried to shoot Cassie, a pair of overstretched arms emerged from a nearby alley then pummelled everyone within range. The Maggia members groaned in pain as the stretchy figure of Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, stretched over to Cassie. She was dressed in red rights with a blue shirt that went down to her thighs and bore a yellow, lightning bolt over it.

“Mr. Rogers said to spend less time with quips,” said Kamala, “and more time disarming your opponents.”

A Maggia member cocked his gun and took aim at Kamala when a large, green hand grabbed his wrist. He gulped as he looked to his left to find a hulking, green-skinned figure with blond hair standing over him. Prince Dorrek, aka Teddy Altman and Hulking, appeared in a black bodysuit with yellow lines on the sides that were sleeveless so it showed his large, green arms. used his super strength to break the gun before pulling it from the Maggia member’s hand. 

Teddy easily pushed the Maggia member to the ground before going to crack his knuckles. “Here I thought the Maggia was a serious threat. These mobsters are just clowns,” said Teddy. As he was about to pounce on them, the members cowered in fear when their commander started to spring down the road. 

However, before the commander could get too far, an arrow whizzed across the sky and exploded to create a rope that bound the commander. The force of the arrow caused him to fall face on the ground with a bloody nose greeting him as he looked to his right to find his attacker armed with a bow.

Kate Bishop, aka Hawkeye, toyed with another arrow as she towered over him in her purple bodysuit. “Gotta love trick arrows. They’re pretty handy in putting you Maggia goons in your place.” She touched her earpiece. “Wiccan, the threat is contained. Drop the barrier and magic some chains.

“On it, Hawkeye!”

Waves of blue light washed over the street as all the Maggia members got handcuffed. 

Sighs of relief mixed with cheers greeted the Young Avengers as they gathered.

An officer holstered his gun as he went over to Eli. “Thank you, Young Avengers. You really saved our necks.”

Kamala chuckled as she got between the cop and Eli. “It was no big deal. We just did what’s expected of superheroes!”

“Either way, we really appreciate it. Now, excuse me, while we properly arrest these clowns.”

The cops dealt with the Maggia members. They stuffed the Maggia in their squad cars and got to work on conducting their report.

Meanwhile, the Young Avengers started to leave the crime scene. Tommy, Kamala, and Cassie ate up the spotlight as they took selfies and signed autographs.

Kate slung her bow back over her shoulder. “No sign of Hammerhead. But these are his men.”

“We gotta find him and soon.” Eli strapped his shield to his back. “He’s trying to turn the city into a warzone.” 

“The Daredevil guy’s intel was pretty accurate,” said Teddy. “Maybe we should ask again if he knows where Hammerhead is held up. We’ve been fighting Maggia goons all spring and still haven’t found his nest.”

Billy nodded. “I could get us a location if you’d just let me use a locator spell.”

“You’ve never met Hammerhead so the spell wouldn’t work, remember?” said Eli. “Plus, Steve says we can’t rely on your magic to solve all our problems. Somethings are better done the old fashioned way.”

“Fine,” said Billy. “Then I guess we can try to set up a meeting with Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. Not that I know how to contact him. He likes being mysterious.”

Kate smirked. “Then we talk with Jessica Jones. She knows where to find him.”

“The P.I.” said Teddy.

“She’s a powered person too, remember,” said Kate. “And she’s part of that Defenders team with Daredevil, the Iron Fist, and Luke Cage.”

“Can you handle that?” asked Eli.

Kate nodded.

The crowd’s cheering got louder as Tommy, Cassie, and Kamala stopped giving them attention.

Tommy gulped as he grabbed onto Billy’s arm. “Maybe you should magic us back to base. For survivors of a terrorist attack, these people are really pushy.”

Billy chuckled. “Alright. I’ll open a one-way portal to Chetaeu Young Avengers!”

Without using a Sling Ring, Billy effortlessly opened a portal to their base. They jumped inside the vortex of orange magic and it quickly closed behind them before anyone could say or do anything to stop their departure.

*~*

The cheering at Young Avengers’ headquarters got louder as the team celebrated their latest victory over the Maggia. Stacks of pizza and bottles of sparkling cider were scattered about the kitchen to celebrate their joyous moment.

A much older Steve Rogers watched the team celebrate from the balcony of the headquarters. He had a cup of cider dangling from his hands as he noticed how happy the team appeared as they averted another tragedy. And while he could rest easier knowing that the Young Avengers were protecting the city, he still couldn’t help but to worry over them as well as the threat the Maggia posed as they were no longer operating from the shadows.

Eli climbed upstairs and soon stood beside Steve. “We still found no sign of Hammerhead. Or any intel that might narrow down our search.”

“But the Maggia attacks are getting bolder,” said Steve. “That means we’re backing them into a corner. It also means they’re going to be fighting their damnest to make sure you don’t stop whatever they’re up to.”

“Then shouldn’t we make Billy do more fieldwork?” asked Eli. “I get the logic behind having him in a defensive position to minimize civilian harm. But if a powerhouse like him were fighting Maggia then surely Hammerhead would show himself.”

Steve nodded. “However, we’d be putting Billy in greater danger. Remember what happened with Wanda and the Sokovia Accords? I don’t want to put Billy through the same trauma...especially given how quickly his powers have grown since last year.”

“You’re right.” Eli took a sip from his cup of cider while watching everyone else party from the balcony. They watched as Kamala stretched her arm over Tommy’s shoulder to steal his pizza while Kate distracted him

Eli and Steve chuckled as Tommy started to chase Kamala around the room.

“It’s been a year and yet so little has changed,” said Eli. “They’re still the same hot messes they were when we met at the compound.”

Steve smirked. “Yes, but you’ve grown a lot as a team. You’re a well-oiled machine now. I can’t even think of a reason for me sticking around.”

Eli’s eyes widened as he reached to touch Steve’s arm. “What! You’re not thinking of leaving us, are you?”

“Not today or tomorrow,” said Steve, “but soon. There isn’t much reason for me to stick around. I’ve taught you everything I know and you’re finally starting to grow into your own. You don’t need me.”

“Maybe, but.” Eli sighed. “It won’t be the same without you.”

Steve patted Eli on the back. “Don’t worry. I won’t leave until after we’ve dealt with Hammerhead.”

Back on the first floor, the team continued their celebration as they were completely unaware of Steve’s plan to retire once more.

Billy and Teddy sat on the couch as they watched the news report on the Young Avengers’ “brilliant” victory over the Maggia’s attack. The report went on to discuss the total amount of Maggia members locked away, but also showed a guest report from J. Jonah Jameson who had his own opinion.

“The Maggia are a major threat to the city that cannot be ignored.” Jameson was an older man who went bald years ago and was one of the most (in)famous reporters in the city with a nasty grudge against Spider-Man. For the most part, Jameson treated the Young Avengers kindly since they had the official Avengers seal of approval unlike Spider-Man did for his early career, but that shoe could easily drop. “However, I cannot help but worry about what the Young Avengers are doing to the city. The Maggia is an international, criminal syndicate, while the Young Avengers barely look like they finished high school. How can we trust that they won’t bring us more harm?”

“So you think the Young Avengers should cease their ‘war’ with the Maggia?” asked another reporter.

“I’m not sure,” said Jameson, “but they are children. And children are prone to making mistakes.”

Cassie changed the channel before this debate could continue. She collapsed onto the sofa across from Billy and Teddy. “At least Jameson isn’t calling us menaces to society.”

Teddy groaned as he wrapped his arm around Billy. “Is he right though? Are we doing more harm than good?”

“The same thing would be happening if it was the cops or other Avengers,” said Billy. “The Maggia are mobsters. And mobsters do not like threats to the status quo.”

“He’s right!” Kamala jumped onto the sofa to sit next to Cassie. “We just learned about Al Capone and the Prohibition mobsters. They were all willing to fight to the death to protect their profits, and they didn’t care who got dragged into the chaos. If you’re on the side of the law, then you’re their enemy.”

Cassie nodded. “So we keep fighting. And hopefully, we can catch Hammerhead soon. When he gets arrested then the Maggia lose control over New York.”

Teddy trusted that they knew best. Even though he was getting a handle on life on Earth and the norms of Earthlings, he still couldn’t help but worry.

Meanwhile, Tommy and Kate were left alone in the back of the headquarters, away from prying eyes. They shared a box of pizza and a bottle of cider that they took turns sipping from.

Kate leaned her head on Tommy’s shoulder as she finished the crust. “What do you have planned for tonight?”

Tommy took another sip from the bottle. “Nothing. Why? Do you want to meet up at your place?”

“If you’re not busy,” said Kate. “I could use a good back massage.”

Tommy smirked as he moved his hand to Kate’s waist. 

While they weren’t exactly dating, they were a thing. It started a couple of months ago when they started their crusade against the Maggia. And it was mostly just an intimate relationship, not a romantic one like Billy and Teddy’s. Not that Tommy was complaining. He enjoyed spending time with Kate and she seemed to really like him, at least physically.

Still, Tommy couldn’t help but wonder if Kate expected more from him or if this was just meant to be a fling.

Kate leaned to grab another slice from the box. “You down? Or should I take care of myself?”

“Oh, I’ll be there. Trust me.” Tommy leaned in to kiss Kate.

*~*

With the party over, Billy and Teddy were the first to leave the headquarters as today was their date night. Of course, Tommy mocked them for having a scheduled date night like an old couple, but it didn’t bother them.

They walked hand-in-hand together down the streets of Brooklyn towards the sushi restaurant that Teddy’s been dying on trying. One thing that Teddy’s learned since arriving on Earth was that he loved sushi almost as much as he loved pizza.

“How are Talos and Soren?” Billy walked closely beside Teddy to keep from bumping into other pedestrians.

“Fine.” Teddy squeezed onto Billy’s hand. He shifted into his Earthling form before leaving headquarters so instead of seeing a bulky, green-skinned alien, pedestrians saw a thick, bronze-skinned man. “They’re doing fine. They’re adjusting to life on Earth about as quickly as I am. And the other Skrulls are doing fine living with the Asgardians. I’m surprised how well-behaved everyone is.”

Billy chuckled. “That’s a good thing though, right?” 

Teddy nodded. “Of course, but I just can’t help but worry. Carol keeps bringing more refugees to Earth and while we’ve blended in so far, I just can’t help but worry when Earthlings realize that shape-shifting aliens live amongst them.”

“True. Earthlings aren’t known for being the most tolerant people.” They arrived at the restaurant to find a long line outside. Billy spoke with the attendant about their reservations and would be seated soon.

When he went back to Teddy, Billy could see that there was something off. Teddy was retreating into his shell a lot more lately and it didn’t go unnoticed by Billy. Teddy spent more time silent than usual and wasn’t quite as affection as before, which worried Billy considerably since Teddy’s withdrawal happened after they started having sex. Billy wasn’t blaming them for being intimate for Teddy’s change in behavior, but he couldn’t help but feel that at least on an emotional level that there was a connection.

Billy went over to the bench and sat beside Teddy. He laced their fingers together then kissed Teddy on the cheek. “We’ll be seated in a minute.” Billy traced his thumb against Teddy’s palm. “Are you okay? You look sad.”

Teddy shook his head. “I’m fine. Everything’s good. I guess I’m just a little tired.”

“Okay.” Billy wasn’t convinced that it was as simple as exhaustion. However, he didn’t want to dig deeper, at least not yet, since he didn’t want to risk upsetting Teddy.

*~*

Loki stood on a nearby rooftop and still appeared just as youthful as he did a year ago. He didn’t appear to grow even an inch. And yet his youthful appearance didn’t stop him from watching Billy and Teddy as they parted ways with the end of their date. He chuckled to himself when he saw the concerned expression on Billy’s face. 

“Oh, dear sweet, Billy, you’re so worried about your precious space prince when you should be more concerned for yourself.” Loki channeled green magic through his hand. Loki spent the better part of a year spying on Billy, watching as his power grew, and studying to find all his weaknesses. “And now to exploit that weakness. I can’t keep her waiting any longer or else she’ll fry me.”

Loki snuffed the green fire out. He started to skip along the rooftop to formulate the best means of getting Billy to do what was needed. “I’ll have to be crafty to get to this boy. It wouldn’t be too hard to invade his sleep now that Nightmare is still licking his wounds.” Loki rubbed his chin then snapped his fingers. “Ah ha! Yes, he’s so worried for his little boyfriend that planting seeds of doubt in his dreams would be within my limits.”

A heavy groan escaped from Loki’s lips. “This wouldn’t be so difficult if Mother hadn’t trapped me in this tiny body. And yet she expects me to break my back to carry out her agenda.”

“ _Do I hear you correctly, Loki? Are you questioning Mother’s wisdom?_ ”

Loki gulped as he spun back around.

A fiery figure stood behind him with the anguished screams of the damned escaping as Mother projected an image of herself to the mortal realm. The fiery form of Mother stepped closer to Loki. The flames of damnation made his skin boil as he tried to step away, but knew he couldn’t escape her presence.

“ _Dear sweet, Loki,_ ” said Mother, “ _you best not be plotting against me. Otherwise, I’ll destroy you._ ”

“Of course not, Mother.” Loki gave Mother an uneasy smile. “I would never turn my back on you. Your love...and rage...knows no bounds.”

Even with her fiery appearance, Mother appeared to smile as she stepped away from Loki. “ _Good. Now, do not fail me, my little trickster. Bring me William Maximoff, and soon. I’ve been kept waiting for far too long._ ”

The fiery form of Mother vanished as she could no longer sustain her projection. 

While Mother’s power was limited on places like Midgar that didn’t leave Loki at ease. He knew that he couldn’t escape Mother even if he tried. So long as she continued to hold that piece of him.

“You will have the boy, Mother,” said Loki, “but only after I’m through with him.”

Green flames swallowed Loki as he too vanished from sight.

*~*

Morning the next day, Cassie and Kamala joined Kate at her apartment in Queens. The apartment was larger than most since the Bishop family could easily afford a more extravagant place. However, Kate didn’t go too crazy with the size or the decor as she kept things relatively simple.

They sat in the living room with Kate pouring everyone a cup of tea.

Kate curled into her big, blue chair as she brought the tea to her face. “So Cassie, when are you going to tell the guys about your college plans? You do realize they’ll notice something’s up when you aren’t joining Billy and Tommy at NYU.”

Cassie hid a smirk as she added some honey to her tea. “I know. It’s just...I don’t want to make it sound like I’m quitting the team when I tell them I’m going to Berkley.”

“But isn’t that kind of what you’re doing?” Kamala started to blow at her tea. “The reason you’re staying in San Francisco is that you want to keep working with your dad and Hope. Unless you’re going to make Billy portal you to the city whenever they need your help. All this continental teleporting is taxing for someone even as powerful as him.”

“Yeah, yeah. You don’t have to guilt me, Kamala.” Cassie sighed before leaving her tea on the end table. “I’ll tell them after we stop Hammerhead. Or...if we don’t stop him by the end of July, then I’ll tell them.”

Kate shrugged. “That gives you about six weeks to break the news to them. Kinda reasonable.”

Kamala pulled the blanket from the sofa and wrapped it around herself. “I’m sure they’ll be able to handle all the change happening. Should I tell them that I’m leaving the team before you do?”

“Go for it,” said Kate. “We never expected you to stay on the team forever since it’s so difficult to guard your secret identity and finding excuses to travel to the city because of your family.”

Kamala tugged on the blanket. She wasn’t sure if she could take that as empathy or a lowkey diss. But it was Kate so she had to mean the best of intentions. “Yeah, I guess I’m going to be stuck in Jersey for a while longer. At least for two more years. Once I’m eighteen, my family can’t stop me from doing whatever I want.”

“That’s right!” Cassie raised her cup to Kamala.

Kate raised her cup too when there was a loud knock at the door. Kate placed her tea on the table and went to the front door with the knocking only getting louder.

“Who’s banging on the door like they own the place?” asked Cassie.

Kate ran to the door as it got louder. “Just leave it to me.” She unlocked the door before pulling it open. She stayed close to the doorway. “You could’ve called first.”

Leaning against the door frame, a dark-haired woman in an old, leather jacket rolled her eyes. She held a manila envelope up to Kate. “That isn’t my style.” She turned so Kate could get a better look at her face. 

Jessica Jones, the alcoholic private investigation of Alias Investigations and part-time superhero, was not one for small talk as she got bored with most people easily, although, she found herself able to tolerate Kate more so than others. “Do you want the file or no? I’m happy to go about my day since you already paid me for my work.”

Kate snatched the envelope out of Jessica’s hand. “Is this all of it?”

Jessica nodded. “I’ve exhausted every loose end in the city, and the trail leads to Los Angeles. I haven’t gone any further for obvious reasons.”

“Thanks, Ms. Jones. I guess this means our business is done.”

Jessica smirked. She peaked over Kate’s shoulder to see that Cassie and Kamala's heads were peaking around the corner to overhear them. She leaned in closer to Kate and spoke with a whisper to protect Kate’s privacy. “Listen. I dealt with the dead-mom thing too, and it doesn’t end well. You might be better off not knowing and just appreciate everything in your life now.” Jessica pulled back as she dug her hands into her pockets. “Especially the speedster. Keep sucking face with him instead of going down this rabbit hole.”

Kate glared at Jessica. “How did you find out about Tommy?”

“I make it a point to investigate my clients too. I’ve been bitten in the ass too many times to take any chances, even from an Avenger.” Jessica waved goodbye. “It’s been a pleasure doing business with you, Ms. Bishop.”

Kate closed the door then turned to find Cassie and Kamala watching closely. “How much of that did you hear?”

“That your dating Tommy?” said Kamala.

“And that you hired Jessica Jones to do some P.I. work for you?” said Cassie.

Kate groaned as this was not how she pictured things going. “I’m not dating Tommy. It’s just a casual thing.” She led them back to the living room and tossed the envelope onto the table. “As for Jones, I had her investigate my mother’s death. I’ve been looking over the records and things just aren’t lining up. Since I can’t do the investigation myself, I paid Jones to do it.”

Cassie and Kamala sat back on the couch and drank their tea.

“So…” Cassie coughed a little. “Since your mom’s trail leads to L.A., does that mean you’re going to leave too?”

Kate sighed. “I don’t know.”

“And if this thing between you and Tommy is so casual,” said Kamala, “are you going to tell him when you tell everyone else that you’re thinking about leaving.”

Kate sighed again as she reached for her tea. “I don’t know.”

*~*

That night, Eli and Tommy were suited up as they stood on the rooftop of a building across the street from a warehouse. They kept to the shadows as best as they could while spying on the occupants with a pair of high-powered, Stark binoculars. They spotted a few armed guards on the rooftop of the building, but luckily they didn’t spot them.

Tommy kept low as the white on his uniform made him easy enough to spot even from across the street. “I guess Daredevil’s intel was on the money. They all look like Maggia goons.”

Eli nodded. “And here you were saying that we didn’t need Daredevil’s help.”

“Fine, I was wrong. Happy?” Tommy groaned then spied on the neighboring rooftops. “But we haven’t found the crown jewel yet. I’m not seeing Hammerhead anywhere, but it looks like the warehouse is the only one occupied. Everything else looks empty. Should I sprint into the building and knock everyone out?”

“No, that probably isn’t a good idea. Given how much trouble we’ve caused the Maggia, it wouldn’t surprise me if they have some type of tech that can detect a speedster.”

Tommy shrugged as he could picture that happening. “With the investments the Maggia made in upgrading their gear that wouldn’t surprise me.” He started to stroke his chin to help him concentrate. They needed to come up with a plan to get the jump on the Maggia. “What if I only go on the rooftop. If I clear the roof then we can sneak in and we’ll still have our exit.”

Eli adjusted the settings to the binoculars to pick up any other type of sensors in the area. “It doesn’t look like there’s any tech on the roof, and there are only three guards. You’ll need to act really fast toー”

A green blur flashed passed Eli and raced across the street. Before Eli had the chance to blink, the three guards were knocked out and disarmed with Tommy reappearing beside him.

“Ready to go run?” asked Tommy as he stood them up and grabbed Eli’s shoulder.

Eli barely had enough time to grab his shield and hold his breath as he braced himself for the superspeed trip. He found that not breathing helped to keep him from throwing up whenever Tommy ran them anywhere.

In a millisecond, they were on the rooftop of the building with the green sparks fading from Tommy’s body. Eli took a deep breath to get his bearings together. “Good job,” said Eli. “Now, let’s get the drop on the Maggia.”

Tommy patted Eli on the back. “I love having bro-adventures with you. It’s a great way to spend a night.”

“I enjoy hanging out with you too, Tommy.” Eli stole keys from one of the unconscious guardsmen to unlock the rooftop door. “However, I’d prefer it if we went to a bar, a shooting range, or anywhere that doesn't involve us getting killed by the mafia.”

“Let’s set up a bro-date for tomorrow.” 

Eli and Tommy went silent as they slipped inside the warehouse. They kept close with Eli reminding Tommy not to run ahead since they didn’t know what type of gear the Maggia was working with now.

They cautiously descended downstairs until they found a swarm of Maggia goons gathered in the building, examining hundreds of crates.

Tommy exhaled softly as he resisted the urge to whistle. He got as close as they could without alerting anyone, and luckily his goggles functioned almost as well as binoculars. “Damn! Those crates are loaded with weapons. I’m seeing guns, ammo, and bombs.”

“I think that means we found a Maggia storehouse then.” Eli unstrapped his shield and brought it to his chest. “And given how many goons are here that means we’re in for a fight. We better call the others for backup.”

“Already sent the call.”

Tommy and Eli walked towards the rail to get a closer look when they found a sharply dressed man step out of a car that just entered the warehouse.

The man tugged on the coat of his dark, perfectly-tailored suit. He walked over to one of the crates and examined its contents for himself. “Are these the best that we can get?”

“It’s everything that A.I.M. was willing to sell us, Mr. H,” said pale-skinned Maggia member. “It’s good tech, sir. It can do some serious damage to powered people. Even the Avengers would think twice before attacking the Maggia.”

Eli leaned towards Tommy and whispered, “That’s Hammerhead.”

“Good.” Hammerhead grabbed one of the guns. He found an ammo cartridge and loaded it up. “This will help us eliminate the Bratty Avengers.”

“But, boss, I thought you were against killing kids?”

Hammerhead smirked. “I’ll make an exception for those brats. Arm up, men! Go out and raise some hell so we can lure the Young Avengers out and kill them.”

Tommy leaned over to Eli. “Should we jump them now or?”

Eli nodded as he sprang to his feet. “Focus on disarming them, while I distract Hammerhead. Hopefully, we can hold down the fort until backup arrives.”

They were about to leave when Tommy’s foot bumped into a discarded piece of metal that made a loud clank when it landed on the ground. Tommy bit his tongue and Eli groaned as they were both aware that they were heard. 

“It’s them!” shouted a Maggia goon. “The Young Avengers are here.”

“Kill em!” shouted Hammerhead.

Tommy grabbed onto Eli and raced them to safety on the ground floor as a few Maggia members began to shoot at the higher floor. As the gunfire continued to rain in that direction, Tommy raced them into a secluded corner on the ground floor just outside of sight.

Eli managed not to throw up and he took a deep breath. “Updated plan. We clear out as many of these goons as we can until backup shows.”

“On it!”

Tommy raced out first and started to pummel everyone he could. He ran across the warehouse to do all the damage he could but found that most of the Maggia were wearing thicker body armor that insulated them from the damage of his speed punches

Eli jumped over a pile of crates to give a dark-haired, Maggia member a dropkick. He raised his shield to provide him with enough protection from the gunfire as he tackled another Maggia member.

Green blurs flickered across the warehouse as Tommy switched things up. He focused on ripping the guns out of the hands of the Maggia since his punches weren’t that effective.

As those two did their best against the Maggia, Hammerhead went back to his car and lit himself a cigar as he watched the show. 

*~*

Things weren’t looking good for Eli and Tommy. They were only barely holding their own against the Maggia as they were better prepared than in previous fights. Tommy found loopholes as he targeted the Maggia members who didn’t have the body armor and disarmed the rest, while Eli did his best to knock out everyone he could so that he could get closer to Hammerhead. But the deck was stacked against them as it seemed that two more Maggia goons would appear for every one that got knocked out.

Eli rolled over a create and swung his leg to kick a gun out of a scrawnier, Maggia member’s hand. He slammed his shield across the guy’s face before diving behind more crates as bullets sailed in his direction.

Tommy ran quickly enough to avoid the bullets but was starting to get tired as the Maggia weren’t going down as easily as he expected.

Tommy raced to the crates where Eli ducked for cover. “Things aren’t looking good. Should we retreat?”

“It looks like we have no other choice.” Eli pulled his head lower as a bullet landed uncomfortably close to his head. “I’m not liking these odds. And without backup, we’re screwed.”

Tommy grabbed onto Eli’s shoulder as he prepared to race them to safety when he felt a spark over his head. He looked up with a big grin spreading across his face as help finally arrived.

A swirling, orange portal opened above them with a blue, force field descending from the portal and soon drew the Maggia’s attention. The rest of the team appeared all suited up for battle with Billy using the force field to provide necessary cover from the bullets. Even with the protection though, Billy was biting his lip as the bullets proved more powerful than he was used to and could potentially pierce his barrier if he wasn’t careful.

The barrier touched the ground with Kate drawing an arrow from her quiver.

“Wiccan, give me a tiny opening.” Kate took aim in the direction that most of the Maggia were shooting from. Billy dropped the barrier just enough for Kate to fire an explosive arrow that generated a small explosion that forced the Maggia to take a more defensive position. 

With the immediate threat over, Billy dropped the rest of the barrier.

Teddy took this as his chance to grab Kamala and fly them up. His green wings took them to the second floor with Kamala preparing to jump.

“Let me go, Hulkling!”

“You got it, Ms. Marvel. I hope the Maggia like a powerbomb!”

Kamala fell to the ground but stretched her body around to take the shape of a giant ball. She crashed on top of several Maggia members before reshaping her body to its normal form and got the jump on the remaining Maggia in the area.

Teddy retracted his wings and crashed onto a bulkier, Maggia member that was about as tall as he was in his Skrull form. His feet slammed into the torso of the Maggia member and sent him crashing into a pile of crates.

Meanwhile, Cassie slid across a crate before shrinking. The two, Maggia members blinked in surprise as they lost sight of her only for her to group back to normal size and punch them in the face.

“When will they ever learn?” Cassie shrank back down just as someone tried to punch her. She grew back to normal size to kick the Maggia member in the back.

With the rest of the team assembled, Eli took command of their situation as Tommy ran to join the fight. “I want everyone to be careful,” said Eli. “Speed and I found out that some of those crates contain explosives. So Hawkeye and Wiccan, go easy on making things go boom!”

Across from them, Kate rolled on the ground before dragging her bow against the leg of a Maggia goon to trip him. She grabbed an arrow and made sure to avoid the incendiary ones as she chose a simple stun arrow to shock an incoming Maggia member. “Noted. Anything else worth knowing, Patriot?”

“Hammerhead is here.” Eli jumped from his hiding spot and looked to find Hammerhead getting back to his car to make a retreat. “He’s in that car. Don’t let him escape!”

“Count on me!” Cassie jumped over a crate and crouched low to fire a piercing, laser blast from the gauntlets on her wrists. The lasers pierced the tires, which ensured Hammerhead wouldn’t escape so easily. “Wasp stingers are a major upgrade. Thank you, Hank.”

“Great job, Stature!” Eli said through their comms. “Now, Wiccan, secure us an escape route.”

Billy landed on a spot away from most of the fighting. “Will do!” Sparks of blue magic gathered around him as he pushed the crates away. He found a door that he easily blew off its hinges as they now had an easy escape route. Now, he could redirect his focus back on the fight since he needn’t worry about holding back since there weren't any civilians in the area.

Meanwhile, Tommy ran up behind Cassie and grabbed her just as Hammerhead ripped the car door off its hinges and threw it in her general direction.

Hammerhead growled as he tossed his cigar to the ground. “Meddlesome, brats. I’ll finish you myself!” He grabbed a gun and began to shoot at anyone he could without any regard that he might shoot his own henchmen.

Eli tossed his shield at Hammerhead’s head without any concern for injury since Hammerhead had an adamantium plate in his head. The contact with the shield caused Hammerhead to turn his attention to Eli. Before he could pull the trigger though Billy slid nearby and grabbed the gun with bands of sparkling, blue magic.

Billy ripped the gun out of Hammerhead’s hands, surprising him long enough for Eli to get a few jabs. Hammerhead shrugged the attack off then punched Eli to the ground before setting his sights onto Billy. Hammerhead rushed towards Billy before he could create a spell to stop him. 

Hammerhead tackled Billy then grabbed him by the cape before he could fall and effortlessly tossed him towards the broken down car.

Billy crashed onto the front hood with his back smashing against the windshield. He groaned as he tried to roll off the hood and get back on his feet.

“Wiccan!”

Teddy flew towards Hammerhead and threw a few punches at him. Teddy could hit hard enough to stun Hammerhead, but the damage only served to slow Hammerhead down, not actually defeat him. 

Hammerhead recovered quickly enough and threw some heavy punches at Teddy that hurt almost as much as Commander Kl’rt’s punches.

Teddy dropped to the ground, holding onto his ribs. Hammerhead grabbed the car door he tossed at Cassie and moved to slam it into Teddy.

“Time to die, green boy.” Hammerhead chuckled as he watched Teddy panic while catching glimpses of the other Young Avengers struggling. 

For all the good they did as a team in derailing the Maggia’s plans for the city, this moment was where they were starting to lose. The team was losing momentum as they soon overwhelmed in their fight against the Maggia.

However, before Hammerhead could strike Teddy, Billy got off the hood.

Billy managed to land on his feet with his vision slightly blurry from the hits he took. He saw enough though to know that his friends were in serious danger and he needed to act quickly to save them. 

“I’m the team powerhouse. I have to save them. StopTheMaggia. StopTheMaggia.” Billy touched his head as he felt a nasty headache brewing. For a moment, he had a flashback of Teddy, Tommy, and the rest of their friends getting swarmed by the Skrull Radicals. Then he remembered the harm Yon-Rogg and the rest of Starforce did before Jen went all She-Hulk on them.

Instead of feeling rage or even fear, Billy felt only pain from his headache and he started to scream. “STOPTHEMAGGIA!” Some of the lightbulbs shattered as did the windows in the car and building. Lightning shot out from Billy’s body and struck every Maggia member in the warehouse. While visually terrifying, the lightning blasts were rather low voltage so it didn’t kill anyone.

However, the gruesome sight of Maggia members dropping to the floor, screaming in pain was rather terrifying to the rest of the Young Avengers.

Several bolts of lightning struck Hammerhead with the metal plate in his head and the car door he held served as a massive conductor. Hammerhead howled as he dropped the door and fell to his knees before finally slumping to the ground, unconscious.

Teddy looked over Hammerhead’s body to see Billy’s spell fading out. Billy closed his eyes and plummeted forward as he dropped to the floor. “Wiccan!” Teddy jumped to his feet to run over to Billy to find that he was still breathing but was unconscious like everyone in the Maggia.

Tommy ran over to them with the green sparks flickered around him as he dropped to his knees. “Wiccan isn’t looking good. We need to get him out of here.”

“Do that,” said Eli. “We’ll make sure the Maggia get booked before they wake up.”

Tommy scooped Billy into his arms without any protest from Teddy before running out of there to take Billy back to headquarters.

Meanwhile, Eli made the call to the police with the deafening sounds of police sirens echoing across the street. All while the Maggia remained unconscious for however long Billy’s spell would last.

*~*

Back at their headquarters, the team gathered to debrief Steve on everything that happened with Hammerhead and the Maggia. However, Teddy and Billy were absent now as Teddy relocated a barely conscious Billy to the Sanctum Sanctorum so that Doctor Strange could examine him.

Steve buried his face into his hands as he listened to Eli's explanation. “The only good thing is that Hammerhead is on his way to the Raft now.” Steve stepped away from the monitors to sit on a nearby chair. He gave a deep sigh. “We’re lucky that didn’t end in a bigger disaster.”

“We were expecting the worst though,” said Kate. “It wasn’t like we were fighting some street-level punks. It was the Maggia. They weren’t going down peacefully.”

“I know. I know.” Steve sighed once more. “It just...it’s just starting to hit me the danger I’m putting you through.”

Tommy chuckled. “Come on, Mr. Rogers. We fought the Kree and Skrull soldiers. I think we can handle a criminal syndicate.”

Cassie shook her head as she took a seat in the lounge. “Except...we almost didn’t. We were swarmed and would’ve gotten our asses beat, if not killed if it wasn’t for Billy.”

Tommy went silent as he thought about Billy’s current condition.

“I never seen Billy’s powers act so funky,” said Kamala. “Are we sure he’s okay? Should we go check on him too?”

“Billy will be fine. He has Teddy,” said Eli. “Besides, Strange will let us know if there’s something seriously wrong with him.” Eli unstrapped his shield and tossed it onto the table. His fingers grazed against the collar of his shirt as he started to unbutton it. “He has to be,” he whispered.

Steve nodded before rising from his chair. “That’s enough for tonight. You all should go home and get some rest, you deserve it for taking down the Maggia. We’ll reconvene in tomorrow.”

“Sure.”

“Got it.”

Tommy agreed before walking over to Kamala. “Let me know when you’re ready so I can run you home.”

“Thank, Tommy.” Kamala grabbed her duffle bag and ran into the locker room to change into her civilian clothes.

Everyone else went into the locker rooms and started to undress out of their uniforms too, while Steve was left alone to his thoughts.

Once more, Steve began to worry if it was right to put the team in such danger, but he had to remind himself that danger would find them and his purpose was to prepare them for a world where they had to face these threats alone.

*~*

Magic boiled in a crowded chamber as Teddy reverted to his Earthling disguise since his Skrull form was too large to avoid bumping into all the caged artifacts.

Billy was placed on top of a wooden table with Doctor Stephen Strange and Wong, dressed in their pajamas, surrounding him. Billy was unconscious now as his body was too exhausted from the battle against the Maggia to remain conscious. Webs of orange light fluttered from their hands and Billy floated above the table as they spent the better part of an hour working to heal Billy as well as diagnosis what happened.

“Any clue what the prognosis is, doc?” asked Teddy.

Doctor Strange continued to wave his hands over Billy before finally pulling back. “It’s mostly just exhaustion,” said Strange.

“But? I can feel a but coming.”

“But.” Doctor Strange paused for a moment to look over at Wong then waved his hands over to him.

Wong snapped his fingers to release his magic. The spell faded and Billy gently floated back to the table. “This isn’t from casting too many spells or an overly complex spell.” Wong patted his shirt as he walked around the table to get closer to Teddy for a moment. “Billy’s situation is a bit more peculiar than that. His exhaustion is more...a mystical growth spurt.”

Teddy furrowed his eyebrows. “A mystical growth spurt? What is that supposed to mean?”

“In simplest terms.” Strange walked over to Teddy too. “Billy’s magic is growing too fast for his body to keep up. Even the most basic of spells will exhaust him now until either his body adjusts or his powers stop growing.”

“Is there anything we can do to help him?”

Doctor Strange shrugged. “Aside from getting him to stop using his magic? There really isn’t anything that can be done. The only thing we can do for Billy is to let him rest.”

A soft yawn echoed in the chamber as Billy pulled himself upright and rubbed his tired eyes. He blinked a couple of times before noticing that he was in the Sanctum. “Um...what did I miss?”

“A few things.” Wong clapped his hands together. “I’ll get us some tea.”

“I’ll help.” Doctor Strange left to join Wong in the kitchen.

Teddy stumbled over to the table and knelt beside Billy. He kissed Billy before brushing their foreheads together. “You really need to stop making yourself a martyr.”

Billy ran his gloved hand against Teddy’s chin. “I’ll be okay. I just...used too much magic. That’s all.”

“Strange says it’s more complicated than that. Your powers are growing too fast for your body to keep up.” Teddy fought the urge to cry, but his misty eyes didn’t go unnoticed. “Try not to use your powers for a while. At least until you’re finally feeling like your normal self again.”

“Okay.” Billy leaned up to kiss Teddy on the lips. “I’ll take it easy.”

Teddy leaned over to hug Billy as they stayed silent until Doctor Strange and Wong returned with tea.

*~*

It wasn’t long until Teddy and Billy left the Sanctum. They only stayed there for about another hour to give Billy enough time to drink his tea and recover his strength. Doctor Strange portalled them out of the Sanctum and back to Billy’s house so that he didn’t overexert himself.

Billy and Teddy jumped through the portal and landed in the living room.

Once inside, Teddy shifted back into his Skrull form then went into the kitchen to pour Billy a glass of water. As for Billy, he sat on the couch and wrapped himself in a blanket.

“Where’s your mom?” Teddy handed the water over.

“Doing some magic stuff. Another witch was being attacked so she left to help them.” Billy took a sip of water. “She should be back tomorrow.”

Teddy sat beside Billy. “Good. I hate to leave you alone since there’s no sign of Tommy either.”

Billy leaned his head onto Teddy’s shoulder. “Well, you can spend the night with me. I could use a cuddle buddy.”

“Of course you do.” Teddy kissed Billy’s forehead. “I can’t tonight though. Talos and Soren are expecting me home. Maybe I can tomorrow night.”

Billy frowned. “Fine. Abandon me in my time of need.” He started to fake cough. “Not like I’m sick.”

Teddy frowned too as he squeezed onto Billy’s free hand. “Don’t joke about that. Aside from the team, you’re all that I have. You and the team...you’re the closest thing I have to family.”

Billy placed the water onto the table then scooted closer to Teddy. “What about Talos and Soren? Don’t you consider them family?”

“I want to, but they spend more time treating me like a prince than a person. Carol’s really good about treating me like a person, but she’s never around.” Teddy sighed. “Really makes me wonder how life would be different if either of my moms were still alive.”

“Is that why you’ve been so depressed lately?” Billy squeezed onto Teddy’s hands. “You’ve been thinking about your moms?”

Teddy nodded. “I guess so...for the first time in my life, I don’t have Skrull Radicals or Kree soldiers chasing me down. That means I can spend more time thinking about my past, present, and future. It terrifies me.”

Billy adjusted himself to sit on Teddy’s lap. He wrapped his arms around Teddy’s thick neck and leaned in to kiss him. “No matter what happens, Teddy, you have me.”

Teddy gave a soft smile as he moved his hands onto Billy’s hips. “Thanks, Billy. I needed to hear that."

The two shared another kiss as Billy finally knew what was bothering Teddy and started to think about a way to help him. And one idea did come to mind, but it required breaking a promise to Teddy.

Billy was going to summon the spirits of Teddy’s parents.


	2. Call Me Mother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey hey! So I'm so excited about this chapter that I'm going to post sooner than I expected because it was just that much of a blast to write! So I hope you have a blast reading it!
> 
> So a bit of a spoiler. Mother appears and just so you're aware and have an idea of how terrifying she is as you're reading this. Mother's power level is similar to that of Hela when she first confronted Thor and Loki. Yeah, Mother is that big of a threat, and like Hela, Mother is only going to get stronger.
> 
> And speaking of Mother. Yes, the song behind this chapter is "Call Me Mother" by RuPaul because I am that kind of gay.

Chapter 2: Call Me Mother

“You already left? And are you sure that Billy’s doing fine? Okay, thanks, Teddy. I’ll be back home soon to take care of him.” 

Tommy hung up his phone and sat back on Kate’s couch. He looked over his shoulder to find his shoes by the front door and was prepared to leave when Kate rested her legs on his lap.

Kate smirked over to him as they sat together with the curtains open so that the city lights could illuminate the living room. They spent most of the night sitting in silence once Cassie went to her room to sleep.

Tommy started to massage Kate’s feet. “I should get going. Someone needs to take care of Billy. And since our mom’s gone that means I’m stuck on babysitting duty.”

“But he’s okay, right?” asked Kate. “There’s no need to rush home, especially for a speedster.”

“Yeah. That’s true.” Tommy kept massaging Kate’s feet. It was odd being so intimate with Kate, especially since Cassie was just one room away from them. Not that he felt like a pervert. It just was odd doing this so openly even if Cassie, and Kamala too, apparently knew about them. “I guess I could stick around for a bit longer.”

“Good.” Kate pulled her feet away from Tommy. “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about. Cassie and Kamala already know, but...I should fill you in.”

Tommy raised his eyebrows.

Kate stretched over to the coffee table and grabbed the manila envelope from underneath a pile of magazines. “Jessica Jones visited me earlier. And...well...I actually paid her to investigate my mother’s death.”

“Why?”

“I was trying to get closure for myself when I was reviewing the case. And nothing made sense so I wanted a professional to look into it.” Kate pulled out a picture from the envelope and handed it over to Tommy. The picture contained an older woman that looked slightly like Kate except with more wrinkles and gray strands of hair. “My mom...or someone that looks like her, was spotted in Los Angeles about two months ago at an auction.”

Tommy shook his head. “But she’s been dead for years. How?”

“That’s what I want to find out.” Kate took a deep breath. “Now that we took care of the Maggia. I...I’m planning on relocating to L.A.”

“You’re leaving the team?” whispered Tommy. “You’re leaving...me?”

Kate frowned as she looked away from Tommy. “I’m not leaving tomorrow if that’s what you’re thinking, but...yes. I’ll be leaving soon. Are you...are you okay with that?”

Tommy paused. His gut told him to go into jackass mode and pretend as if nothing mattered to him. But after all the therapy his mom forced him to go into and all the time he spent with Kate, he couldn’t do that. He took a deep breath and shook his head. “I’m not okay with it, but it’s not like I have any right to stop you. Besides, it’s your mom. I can’t imagine I wouldn’t do the same if I was in your place.”

Kate tried to smile but her heart hurt too much from telling Tommy the truth. She reached over to touch his hand. “You’ll be the first to know when I have a date set. And...about this. Should we?”

“End things now?” Tommy nodded. “That would probably be easier. Make it a cleaner break.”

“I’m sorry, Tommy.”

Tommy offered a smile. Even if it wasn’t a truly sincere one. “I know, Kate. I know.”

*~*

Billy lit a circle of candles before gently placing Teddy’s t-shirt in the middle of the circle. To summon his parents, he needed a proper anchor. And since Billy couldn’t bring Teddy here, at least not yet, using something that belonged to him would act as the link that Billy needed to make the spell work.

It was stupid to conduct a summoning ritual when he was so exhausted, but he needed to know he could help Teddy.

He grabbed a spellbook from his mother’s office as he prepared to conduct the ritual. If he was going to do this then he would need to be careful about it. Summoning spirits was a delicate matter. If Billy dropped the ball then he ran the risk of corrupting the spirits of Teddy’s parents, or, worse yet, he ran the risk summoning a demon.

And given his experience with demons, Billy wasn’t going to take that risk. “You can do this, William,” he said to himself. “This is within your power. Plus, you did weirder shit before. I can do this!”

Billy knelt on the ground. His eyes turned pure blue as he began the ritual. He spoke in old tongues as he recited the safest ritual he could find to summon spirits.

As Billy lost himself to the magic, shadows gathered from every crack of the doors and windows. The shadows coalesced until a figure emerged with that figure being Loki.

Loki slowly pulled a knife from the sleeve of his shirt. “Billy. Billy. It’s so easy to whisper into your ear. You drained your home’s defenses to conduct this spell. And now you’re more vulnerable than you’ve ever been before.”

Loki moved to stab Billy.

However, the magic surrounding Billy acted on its own. Billy stopped the ritual and dropped the spellbook as the candlelight faded. His body phased out with Loki crashing to the floor as he walked through Billy.

Billy’s eyes returned to normal as he became aware of his surroundings. That’s when he took notice of Loki on the ground and that he was armed.

“What! Who the hell are you!” Billy didn’t think twice. He hurled a blast of magic at Loki just as he tried to get back on his feet.

Loki crashed into the refrigerator with some of its contents spilling out.

Billy knew he couldn’t stay home. And his magic wasn’t strong enough to portal out so he started to run. He ran out of the house and ran down the empty street as he grabbed his phone. He went to the Young Avengers group thread to call for help.

Billy started to type out his text when something sharp pierced his right shoulder. He dropped his phone to find the handle of a knife in his shoulder. 

Billy looked up, taking several deep gasps as he saw Loki standing in front of him with a wicked grin.

*~*

Tommy stayed with Kate a while longer as he talked with her about her mother’s case. While he wasn’t a detective, he could tell that things didn’t pass the smell test, especially with the new leads Jessica provided. He could tell that there was something wrong and that Kate needed to get to the bottom of things. And even as tempting as it was to leave with Kate, Tommy couldn’t bring himself to leave his family behind.

Tommy helped put all the documents and pictures back into the envelope so that they didn’t get lost. And with everything cleaned up, Tommy got ready to leave. He just finished tieing his shoes when he was about to kiss Kate goodnight.

It came as a habit since they were so used to kissing at this point, but they stopped themselves since they were supposed to have a clean break.

Tommy and Kate curled their lips as they looked away from each other.

“I better get going,” Tommy said, breaking their silence.

“Okay.” Kate went over to hug them as that was something they could still do.

The hug was brief. 

Tommy was about to run out of the apartment when a sharp pain hit his chest. He screamed as he dropped to his knees and grabbed onto his right shoulder.

Kate got next to Tommy as she tried to check on him only for his screams to get louder. “What’s wrong? Tommy, talk to me!”

“It hurts! It hurts so much.”

The screaming woke Cassie from her sleep and she ran out of her bedroom. She was confused as to what was going on when she found Tommy on the floor. “What? Tommy! Why are you?”

Tommy took repeated deep breaths to calm his nerves. Suddenly, his eyes flashed with images of Billy running down a street before someone stabbed him in the shoulder. The same shoulder that Tommy felt pain from. “It’s Billy.” Tommy started to become numb to the pain. “Something. Someone attacked him. He’s in so much pain.”

“Oh my god!” Kate jumped to his feet. “Go to him, Tommy! We’ll grab our gear and call the others.”

Cassie nodded. “We’ll find you. Go protect Billy!”

Tommy nodded. He ran out of the apartment as quickly as he could to find Billy before it was too late.

*~*

Billy fell to the ground as he dragged himself away from Loki, while blood continued to gush from his shoulder.

“Who are you?” Billy trembled. He tried using magic to heal himself or even escape, but he couldn’t get his magic to work. It was his fear. He was too scared now and it was preventing his powers from working properly.

Loki followed Billy as he tried to escape. Loki held the knife as it was still laced with Billy’s blood. “It’s nothing personal if it helps. If it wasn’t because of Mother then I wouldn’t resort to such dramatic means. As for who I am. Well, I may not look the part, but I am still Loki.”

Billy’s back bumped into a parked car. “Loki? The Asgardian? But...Thanos killed you.”

“And I was resurrected.”

“Why do you look like a kid?” 

“Trust me, this isn’t how I pictured my grand return, but here we are.” Loki squeezed onto the handle as he lunged towards Billy. “Now, be a good boy and give me your magic.”

Before Loki could stab Billy again, a blur of green energy washed over Loki. A powerful punch struck Loki across the face and sent him sailing down the street.

And in the blink of the eye, Billy was scooped into a pair of arms.

Tommy carried Billy bridal style and looked with horror as he stared at the wound on Billy’s shoulder. Tears trickled down his face. “You were stabbed.”

“By Loki.”

“That kid’s Loki!” Tommy shook his head. “We’re getting the fuck out of here. I’m taking you to Strange’s.”

“Hurry! Loki wants my magic.”

Tommy took off at full speed as he held Billy as tightly as he could.

However, they didn’t make it far.

Tommy ran for about three blocks when suddenly his legs couldn’t move any longer. Tommy and Billy looked forward to find Loki standing in front of them.

Loki had his hand raised with green magic surrounding him as he left them frozen in place. “Not so fast, little Quicksilver. That’s my witch.”

“Fuck you!” Tommy tried to fight Loki’s magic, but even at his diminished stature, Tommy wasn’t strong enough to resist Loki’s magic.

Loki chuckled. He waved his fingers to magically removed Billy from Tommy’s arm. Tommy and Billy screamed as Billy was dragged into the air.

Billy tried to fight too, but the blood loss was making his body too weak to put up much of a fight.

“Why are you doing this!” shouted Billy.

“I promise this isn’t what I want to do.” Loki ran a finger against Billy’s blood on the knife as he began to conduct his spell. “We both have a part to play, William. And unfortunately, neither of us have much choice in what happens next.”

“You damn right, chico!”

Loki was punched once more.

This time, a blue streak became very clear. A young, dark-skinned woman with curly hair landed on the ground. Her denim jacket hung tight as it covered a red, crop top with a star on top and black leggings and boots.

She looked to Billy, aghast by what she saw. “ _Mierda_! I couldn’t protect you from Loki.”

Billy stared at her with tears in his eyes. “Who are you?”

“America Chavez, I’mー”

A blast of magic struck America and sent her flying towards Tommy.

Loki returned and raised the blood-stained finger with Billy’s blood. “Sorry, Ms. Chavez, but I have a mission to complete. And it’s midnight now, Mother is calling. And William, this will hurt.”

Loki forced Billy’s magic to activate on its own as he used a spell of his own. Billy screamed as pain spread throughout his body.

Blue lightning escaped from Billy and was pulled to the ground, ripping it open. Fire rose from the ground as a ring of green magic formed. The display of magic didn’t go unnoticed as they were in the middle of a street and eyes started to watch everything that was happening.

From the portal, terrifying screams could be heard over Billy’s own screams.

A beastly hand escaped from the portal as something or someone was rising.

*~*

While the infernal portal opened, a second portal opened down the street mixed with orange sparks. Eli, Kate, Cassie, Teddy, and Kamala jumped out in their uniforms, ready for a fight when they saw everything that was happening. They got Doctor Strange to portal them directly as he sensed a mystical disturbance that needed to be addressed. 

Cassie’s jaw dropped as she stared at the poral. “What is happening?”

“Billy!” Teddy ran towards Billy when the infernal portal erupted and pushed everyone back.

A fiery figure emerged from the portal. Consumed in fire, the figure bore a beastly form with a grotesque face, extra limbs, and a slight limp as it howled with rage.

Tommy got the feeling back in his legs as Loki’s spell was lifted now. He could move his body and was relieved even as this monstrous figure was coming. He acted quickly as he tried to accelerate the creature’s molecules and triggered multiple explosions that did nothing at all to slow the creature down.

“Fucking shit!” Tommy took a deep breath. He moved his hands as quickly as he could to generate hurricane-force winds to, hopefully, blow the creature back into the portal.

However, the flames surrounding the creature only grew larger. 

Again, there was a second explosion that this time pushed everyone back.

Laughter echoed throughout the street as the portal closed and the flames slowly died out, all of which left behind a nude woman with lilac-colored skin. Silver hair went down to her stomach and back as strands of it covered parts of her breasts. She licked her lips and let out a deep breath before she smiled. 

Loki slowly pulled himself to his feet as he dropped to his hands and knees. “Mother! I fulfilled your will.”

“You have, Loki,” said Mother. “Now, to repay you.”

Chains latched onto Loki and pulled him into the air with Loki screaming in horror.

The Young Avengers and America watched with wide-eyes as they were all confused as to what was going on.

Mother smiled at them before turning her gaze onto Billy. “There’s my Demiurge. How I’ve waited for this day to come. Now, your power is in my hands.”

“Stay the fuck away from him.” Kate fired an arrow that exploded in front of Mother.

Once the smoke settled, Mother was revealed to be still standing without a scratch on her naked body. “Was that supposed to hurt? Why do you hate Mother, young Katherine.”

Kate trembled. She wasn’t sure if she should be more terrified of the fact that her arrow didn’t hurt Mother or from the fact that Mother knew her name.

Mother stepped forward as people screamed all around them. She stopped then looked at herself and laughed. “How rude of me. I should wear something proper for when I kill you.” She plucked one of her hairs out and ran it over her body until a silver dress appeared to cover her body.

Cassie gulped. “At least we’re not going to be killed by a naked, demon woman.”

Teddy held onto Billy as he tried to put himself between him and Mother. 

“We’re not dying today.” America stomped her foot on the ground. “I know enough about this bitch that we’re not ready to fight her. I’m getting us out of here now so hang onto your asses!” A giant, star-shaped portal opened up beneath them and quickly swallowed her and the Young Avengers before Mother could reach them.

As the portal closed, Mother screamed as they escaped her grip.

*~*

A star-shaped portal opened with them landing on the rooftop of a building in the East Bronx.

“What the fuck!” screeched Kamala. As she breathed heavily, her head inflated and deflated in size as she couldn’t completely control her powers.

“Easy, Kamala.” Cassie worked on helping Kamala calm herself. “You’ll scare half the neighborhood.”

Meanwhile, Billy was flinching as Eli examined the wound.

Eli tried to clean the blood as best as he could with the first aid kit in his utility pack. The alcohol wipe sterilized the area which was the best he could do until Billy healed himself. “Well, the good news is the bleeding stopped. But we need to get it properly treated so it won’t get infected.”

Billy nodded as he tried to heal himself only to shock himself. “Fuck! Damn it!” Billy bit his tongue and took a deep breath. “My powers...they’re not working properly.”

“Stop using them.” Teddy knelt beside Billy. “You’ve been using a lot of magic today. And then...Kid Loki. He brought that monster here using your powers.”

Tommy shook his head. “That was no monster. She...she’s something completely different. I haven’t felt anything like her since一”

“Nightmare.” Billy blurted out as he looked up to Tommy with tears in his eyes. “Being around her was like being Nightmare’s prisoner all over again.” Tommy could only nod as that was exactly what he felt being in Mother’s presence.

Kate reached for an arrow from her quiver. She went over to America who stood on the edge of the rooftop, staring out to the city. “You! Whatever your name is. You said you know who that monster. Who Mother is. Fill us in now so we can kick her ass.”

“And please explain who you are!” added Cassie.

America groaned as she turned to face them. “Again, my name is America Chavez. I’m a hero like you. I’ve been tracking Loki for a year now to keep him from summoning Mother into our dimension.”

“So that was Loki?” asked Eli. “Why does he look so young then?”

“He died and was resurrected,” said America. “However, my guess is that whoever brought him back botched the resurrection up hence why he looks like he’s barely going through puberty.” 

“And Mother?” asked Teddy as he held onto Billy. “Who is she?”

America shrugged. “I’m not exactly sure what she is. All I know is that she’s ancient and incredibly powerful, but she can’t use her full power in our world.”

“Because she’s a demon,” said Tommy.

America nodded.

Tommy reached into his shirt and pulled out a necklace that bore the Star of David. “Billy, do you have yours?”

Billy winced as he took out his necklace which also carried the Star of David. “Always. Not that it did much good.”

“It’s still our best defense against a demon right now.” Tommy looked over to everyone else. “What about the rest of you? Do you have anything religious on you?”

Kate held a bracelet that had a cross on it. “I got this bracelet my sister gave me.”

Eli went into his shirt and grabbed a cross that dangled from a gold chain. “Got my cross.”

Cassie nodded as she took out a necklace with a similar-sized cross. “Same here!” 

Kamala went into her shirt to take out a necklace with a small, green Hamsa. “I have this Hamsa that’s supposed to protect me from the evil eye. Does it count?”

“Yes.” Billy leaned on Teddy for support as he got back on his feet. “All of that will work. Demons hate holy symbols. However, the stronger the demon, the less effective these symbols are on their own. If I could add a simple enchantment to them then they’d offer real protection.”

“No!” Teddy brought a gentle hand to cup Billy’s face. “Look how weak you are now. You hadn’t even fully recovered when I brought you back from Strange’s place. If you try using magic again, it could kill you.” 

“But.”

Tommy shook his head. “Teddy is right. You using magic right now isn’t going to help us. We...we need to get far away from here. Mother wants you, and if she can figure out a way to track you.”

“Then we’re screwed,” whispered Billy.

“America!” Tommy turned towards America as she was the only one who could help. “Can you portal us anywhere?”

America nodded. “Within reason. Where do you want me to take you?”

*~*

Loki huffed for the dozenth time as he was left suspended in the air, and still restrained with magic chains. He watched as Mother paced around the streets with people screaming in horror as she did not appear from this world.

As another human screamed about a monster, Loki finally couldn’t take it any longer. “Mother! While I normally love hearing humans scream, it is getting annoying. They’re not used to seeing someone as beautiful as you and your lilac-colored skin that they think you some kind of beast. And seeing that I can’t even cover my ears, I would most appreciate some help.”

Mother stopped pacing. She tilted her head ever so slightly with her lips parting. Then she began to laugh. “Oh, I was so lost in thought that I hadn’t noticed. Yes...I forgot how obsessed humans are with appearances. First, it’s their prudish views against their own naked bodies. Now, it’s the color of one’s skin.”

Mother’s body began to glow once more. She adjusted her form slightly until her lilac-skin turned a warm shade of brown. “Is that better?”

Still screams echoed across the street as Mother’s magic did nothing to assuage anyone’s fears.

Loki shrugged. “For newcomers, but we still have a bit of a problem.”

“Yes. We do.” Mother stomped her foot on the ground. “ENOUGH!” Her voice boomed everywhere with everything in the immediate area going silent. Soon, bodies began to drop with the thumps echoing as nobody was immune to her power.

“Impressive as always, Mother. Are they dead?” asked Loki.

“Just unconscious, for now.” Mother stared at her fingernails. “Until I have a use for them. But first, what to do with you, my little trickster.”

Loki gulped. “Whatever do you mean, Mother? I released you from Hell, and I even served William Maximoff to you.”

“But young William escaped. And that doesn’t make Mother happy.” Mother smirked as she looked at Loki. “You can fix that though. Capture William again and this time, make sure he can’t escape.”

  
“I’ll do that, but, Mother, he’s protected now.” Loki tried his best to look over at himself. “And given my current state, I would not be able to do much against his friends. If I had more power.”

Mother nodded. “Which you shall.” She snapped her fingers so that Loki was freed from her chains. And as Loki landed on his feet, over a dozen bodies began to stand. Loki looked back at Mother with concern evident. “And you won’t be alone. My minions shall protect you.” 

The people stood like zombies as they stared blankly to the ground. 

Even as she had only just returned to Earth, Mother’s power was already growing. Loki could see these people were so easily lost under her thrall that it wouldn’t take long before she could take control of the city.

“I live to serve you, Mother.” Loki bowed as he opened a portal and took the people with him to go after Billy and the Young Avengers.

As Loki vanished, Mother moved to sit when another person ran to her side. A man dropped to his hands and knees to serve as her chair. “Yes, you do serve, Loki. Now, to wait.” Mother ran a hand through her hair. “Once I have the Demiurge’s power then not only will I be unstoppable, but I will be able to revive you, my darling, son.”

Mother bore a single tear as she was so close now. So close to having her vengeance, but she was also so close to bringing her son back to life.

*~*

America’s portal opened outside of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Midtown Manhattan. The gothic-style cathedral towered over them, but looked ancient and very out of place from the modern buildings that surrounded it. Luckily, it was still late enough at night that nobody was out on the streets, which meant it was safe enough.

Eli stared at the church and took a deep breath. “I’m Baptist but this still feels very sacrilegious to me. I’m not sure about this plan.”

“Well, I’m Jewish,” said Tommy as he was still in his civilian clothes, “so if a Catholic Church falls then no big deal. We just need to fight Mother on holy ground. And this is the best we can do on short notice.”

Kamala shook her head. “Yeah, and I’m Muslim sooooo, let’s try not to get a church blown up. The last thing I need to happen is for all the white people in the city to start rounding up Muslims. We barely survived Trump tormenting us.”

Teddy carried Billy over to a bench to let him rest. Teddy sat beside Billy, while maintaining his Skrull form even as Billy was still dressed in his normal clothes. “What happened earlier? How did Loki even get to you? When I left, everything was fine. You were safe at home.”

Billy frowned as he tried to avoid Teddy’s gaze. “I...um, I started to conduct a spell. And it must’ve messed with all the warding at the house.”

Teddy shook his head. “Billy...I told you. What spell were you even going to cast that would affect your house’s protection.”

“I was going to summon your parents’ spirits so you can meet and talk with them.”

“Billy…” Teddy spoke softly as he tilted Billy’s head to face him. There were some tears in Teddy’s eyes as they locked eyes. “You are the dumbest...sweetest boy in the universe. And now we have to save the city from a super demon all because you wanted to cheer me up.”

“I’m sorry, Teddy,” Billy said as he started to cry.

Teddy kissed Billy gently on the lips. “You’re lucky I love you so much. But next when you plan on doing something that stupid, at least tell me first so I can make sure you’re protected.”

Billy chuckled as he rested his head on Teddy’s shoulder. “I promise.”

Meanwhile, Kate dialed on her phone. She left a voicemail for Steve to warn him about everything about what happened. “Please, Steve, if you get this message, call us back. Tommy is giving commands. And we’re about to do something really stupid and I don’t know if it’ll fix things.” She hung up and gave a deep sigh.

“Everything will work out, Kate,” said Cassie as she held Kate’s hand. “We’ll make it through. We have to.”

“Maintain the optimism, chica.” America stood with her arms crossed over her chest as she stared down the street. “I can feel something big coming.”

Everyone started to gather around each other as they braced themselves for whatever was coming next.

In moments, a dark portal opened with Loki stepping out and was joined by over a dozen people that had the most dazed expressions on their faces. Loki crossed his arms over his chest and smiled. 

“Get them,” Loki ordered.

The zombified people charged after the Young Avengers.

Billy’s hand glowed blue as he regained enough control of his magic. He smiled as he raised his hand up to see what was wrong with the people. “They’re under a mind control spell, but they’re still people. Don’t kill them!”

  
“You heard him,” said Tommy. “Knock them out!” He charged after one of the people and struck a man hard in the chest. It was enough to push the air from his lungs which momentarily stunned him. The man fell to the ground hard and went still except for the occasional twitch. 

Kamala stood in front of Billy to serve as his bodyguard so that Teddy could fight.

Teddy went after another man. He elbowed the guy in the face hard enough to knock the person out so he wasn’t a problem.

Cassie shrunk between a pair of women before growing back to full size and slammed their heads against the hood of a car.

Eli struck a man with his shield as the man came charging at him. “I’m glad these zombies aren’t too smart. It makes me feel less guilty about kicking their asses.”

Kate dragged her bow to the feet of a woman to trip her then kicked another woman in the face. “And we don’t have to worry about them eating our brains.”

America went about punching everyone as she knocked out many people as she could quickly.

Billy stumbled back as none of the people came after him, but Loki had his eyes on him. Billy clenched his fists with a blue aura flicking around them.

Loki was all smiles as he stepped closer to Billy. He then stopped dead in his tracks as all the people were knocked unconscious then gave a deep sigh. “Odin’s beard, that took you, kids, longer than I wanted. I thought you were supposed to be actual Avengers.” His hand started to glow green. “Now that we have no spies. William, help me break Mother’s spell over them.”

“Fuck you, dude!” Billy glared at Loki. “You stabbed me and forced me to use magic against my will. Now you want me to help you?”

Loki groaned. “You don’t understand.” He flinched as Tommy ran up to punch him in the face. Loki brushed the blood away from his lip. “Ow! What was that for?”

“You stabbed my brother!” said Tommy. “And opened a portal to Hell to summon a demon that wants to steal his powers!”

“Because she has my soul!” Loki shouted.

Tommy furrowed his eyebrows. “Mother has your soul?”

America cracked her knuckles. “Why should we care about that?”

Billy sighed as he started to walk over to Loki even as the others told him to get back. “It means Mother can make him do whatever she wants. And we all know enough about Loki to know just how much he’d hate that.”

Loki bowed. “Finally, someone gets me.”

“Shut up, Loki,” said Billy. “And help me release these people from Mother’s spell.”

Loki took Billy’s hands. A wave of blue and green magic spread out from their bodies and washed over the unconscious people. A dark mist rose from their bodies that faded into the sky as all traces of Mother’s influence disappeared. They remained unconscious as they rested from the fight and the possession.

“Good job, William,” said Loki. “I knew you were just the witch that I needed.” Another fist greeted Loki as this time it was Billy that punched him.

And even though Loki looked like a kid, Billy didn’t feel bad in the slightest. “That was for stabbing me.”

Loki brushed the blood from his face as he now sported a large bruise on his pale face. “I deserved that. Now, can we move on before Mother comes and devour us all? We need to leave the city immediately so that we’re outside her reach.”

Eli turned to America. “Can you portal us out?”

America shook her head “There’s too many of you now. I can get us to another neighborhood, but I’m running low on steam.”

A loud growl came from down the street as it suddenly got very cold.

The Young Avengers, America, and Loki looked around as they weren’t sure what was coming after them now. Billy tried to pull up a barrier, but his magic was too weak to do much good. And they couldn’t really rely on Loki since it was Loki after all.

Snowflakes started to fall, which was really odd since it was the middle of summer.

Kamala tried to laugh it off as she was starting to get really scared. “Climate change is really weird.”

“This isn’t climate change,” said Tommy.

The growling got louder and the ground began to shake.

A massive figure landed before them and easily towered over them. The figure was a blue-skinned man with dark, red eyes. He carried with him a frozen club as he growled at them as he bore his fangs. Scars covered his body as he stomped towards them.

Loki gulped as he started to move to get behind Eli. “We really need to leave.”

“Loki!” howled the giant figure. “You dare betray Mother!”

“You know who that is?” asked Eli.

“That’s my father, Laufey,” said Loki. “And I’m willing to bet Mother resurrected him too. But that’s not the worst part. See...I’m the one who killed him the first time I tried to take over Asgard.”

Billy groaned. “We really really need to get the fuck out of here! This church won’t protect us from a Frost Giant.”

Kate fired an explosive arrow that barely managed to slow Laufey down as he charged at them. “Any plans on how we’ll all get out of here? I’m all ears.”

“I can try to slow him down.” America started to float in the air. “All that matters is we get Billy out of here. Whatever Mother is planning, he’s at the heart of everything!”

Teddy wrapped an arm around Billy’s waist as he grew his wings. “I can try flying him out of the city.”

Tommy nodded. “I’ll run after you and provide cover.”

Eli raised his shield. “Sounds like a plan then. Not a great one, but it’s the best we can do in our situation.”

There was a loud boom overhead that went mostly unheard. However, Loki looked up to the sky and started to smile. “Oh, nevermind. We’re good now.”

A Quinjet came into view with it flying directly towards Laufey.

Laser blasts fired on Laufey to slow him down when Laufey hurled a blast of ice up to the sky that the Quinjet had to fly out of its path.

The Quinjet took to hovering as the hanger door opened with a man stepping out. He was too far away to see clearly, but the one thing they noticed was a giant railgun that he used to take aim at Laufey.

A massive blast of energy rocketed from the railgun and shot Laufey directly. Laufey was blasted down the street, which provided them some safety.

The Quinjet landed on the ground with its occupant stepping out into the light as he left the rail gun back on the ship. He wore a skin-tight, white bodysuit with his silver hair swaying the breeze as he blew a kiss in their direction. As he got closer, Young Avengers, except for Kamala, recognized him as one of the Kree soldiers that attacked Teddy and threatened to kill Cassie last year.

Noh-Varr pointed at the ship. “Come with me if you want to be awesome.” As he winked at everyone, a blur of yellow light struck him in the chest. He groaned as Cassie fired one of her stingers at him. He flinched for a moment before straightening back up. “Okay, totally deserved that for the last time we met. But, seriously, get on the ship!” 

“How did you get a Quinjet?” said Kate.

“I...borrowed it,” said Noh-Varr.

“And why are you still on Earth!” said Teddy as he prepared to hit Noh-Varr. “Carol sent the Kree back to Hala.”

Noh-Varr shook his head. “She only sent Yon-Rogg back since the She-Hulk killed the rest of our team. And thanks to your friends stealing my communicator, Yon-Rogg thought I was dead too. So I’ve been chilling on Earth. Running away from Kree sleeper agents.”

Loki coughed as he ran over to Noh-Varr. “Forget his story. All you need to know is that he works for me now since I saved him from a Kree ambush.”

Noh-Varr grabbed Loki by the collar of his shirt. “I don’t work for you! I work with you. We’re partners.”

“Nobody cares if your his lackey or his partner.” Tommy ran over towards the ship as he motioned for everyone to hurry and get into the Quinjet. “We need to get out of the city. So fly us out, pretty boy.”

Noh-Varr smiled as he shoved Loki to the ship then blew a kiss in Tommy’s direction. “Finally, someone who can appreciate my sex appeal.”

Tommy rolled his eyes as he followed Billy and Kate into the ship.

Everyone else got inside too with Noh-Varr taking the pilot’s seat just as Laufey was getting back on his feet.

Before Laufey could attack, the Quinjet took to the sky and flew to safety as the Young Avengers made their desperate escape.

*~*

Mother walked into a brownstone where a couple lived happily with their two children. The entire family was under spell now as they stood with their heads bowed.

Mother took a seat on the couch, while her other slaves began to cater to her other needs. One man began to massage her feet as a woman started to file her nails. All while the family stood perfectly still as Mother enjoyed her special treatment.

She groaned when she heard thunderous footsteps. She looked out the window where a large, blue figure greeted her. “Laufey, you were such a good bargain, much like your son’s soul. Now, where is your son? And where is my Demiurge?”

Laufey choked on his words. Unlike Loki who was a master at hiding his intentions and the humans who were too weak-willed to resist, Laufey struggled to find the proper words. Despite all his strength, even he wasn’t powerful enough to fend off the power of a demon of her stature. “It is as you fear, Mother. Loki has betrayed you. He has joined the Demiurge and escaped on a ship”

“What a bold spawn that you bore, Laufey. Even though he knows the consequences of betraying someone who holds his soul. No matter. So long as I have Loki’s soul, I can find him. And if he stays with William Maximoff then all will be well.” Mother cackled as she pulled her hands and feet away from her slaves. She rose from the couch and stepped outside to properly face Laufey. “Now, darling Laufey, do you promise to serve Mother faithfully? Unlike your miserable son. Or should I send you back to my Hell dimension?”

Laufey shook his head. “I will serve until my dying breath, Mother.”

Mother blew a kiss towards him. “A wise choice. Now, pardon me for a moment. I have guests to welcome.” Mother looked up to the sky as she could feel them coming. They did nothing to mask their presence, not that they really could even if they tried.

Descending from the sky was the Avengers.

War Machine, Captain America, Winter Soldier, She-Hulk, and Jane Foster as the new Thor arrived as they learned of the disturbance that Mother’s presence brought to the city.

Jane Foster wore a silver, chest plate that covered a black bodysuit along with a silver helmet that covered her eyes. She swung Mjolnir as her scarlet cape waved in the breeze as lightning gathered.

War Machine readied a repulsor blast as he took aim both at Mother and Laufey. “Alright, so I’m going to need you two to return to whatever freaky place you came from.”

“Freaky place? Is that the best you could come up with, James Rupert Rhodes?” asked Mother.

“How do you know my name?”

Mother smiled as she spread her arms out. “I am Mother. I know all my children.”

Winter Soldier raised a gun at her. “No offense, ma’am, but you are not my mother. She’s been dead for damn near a century now.”

“Yes, she has, James Buchanan Barnes.” Mother sighed. “And how she misses you. Do you want to see her? I can make that happen.”

Winter Soldier flinched but Captain America stopped him from hesitating. He readied his shield as he didn’t know what to expect from Mother. “You really think we’ll buy what you’re selling?” said Captain America. “You might be pretty, but you’re creepy for talking in the third-person. And all these people are surrounding you like zombies. And you got a giant blue dude.”

“A Frost Giant,” corrected Jane.

“A Frost Giant!” said Captain America. “What in the hell are you? And what do you want?”

Mother laughed and shook her head. “Well, Samuel Thomas Wilson. As I said, I am Mother. First Blood. Beloved bride to Sammael. Queen of the Damned. And Slayer of Gods. But your feeble minds may know me best as Lilith.”

“Okay, I get it.” War Machine readied his machine gun and armed more missiles. “So you a real, demonic badass. I guess that means we need the big guns.”

Mother slowly approached the Avengers. “No weapon you wield can harm me. You don’t get to be Queen of Hell by being vulnerable to the weapons of mortals. Now, you can choose to surrender or fall before me. Either way, nothing will stop me from claiming William Maximoff’s power for myself!” 

She-Hulk cracked her knuckles and groaned. “It figures that the kids are in the middle of all this. I guess that means I have to save them again.” She-Hulk charged after Mother with Jane joining her as they prepared to deliver the first blow.

However, Mother brought her hands together. A wave of blinding light illuminated the entire street with even Laufey and her slaves howling in confusion.

As the light faded, Mother was left standing over several kneeling figures. The Avengers stood around Mother with their heads bowed to her. “Welcome, my children.” Mother smiled as she stared up into the sky. “Who do you love? Who do you serve?”

“You, Mother,” said the Avengers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun Dun DUUUUUUUUUUN! 
> 
> (Some of) The Avengers are Mother's slaves now, which means the Young Avengers are in BIG TROUBLE! Find out how much of a disaster things are going to be next week!
> 
> Kudo and comment!


	3. One Way or Another

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays, y'all! And welcome to another fun-filled chapter. We're approaching the finish line and things are about to get even more intense than usual.

Chapter 3: One Way or Another

The Quinjet sailed through the skies as Noh-Varr got them as far away from New York City and as quickly as he could before Mother could find a way to stop them.

Tommy stood near the pilot’s chair and kept his eyes on the radar. “We’re outside the city limits. How far does Mother’s influence extend?”

Loki sat on the floor while examining his fingernails. “I say she barely controls Manhattan now, but the longer she stays on Midgar, the more her power will spread.”

“We should work on finding someone safe to regroup then.” Eli went to the monitors and set a course for the Quinjet. Noh-Varr got the update and started to steer the plane in that direction. “I think we should rest at the compound. It’s far away enough that Mother shouldn’t be able to follow us and it’ll also be easily accessible to the other Avengers.”

“Good plan,” said Kate as she fiddled with her bow.

Tommy nodded as he turned his gaze onto Noh-Varr now. “So can we trust you to not crash this ship to the ground and send Teddy to your Kree overlords?”

Noh-Varr smirked. “The Kree don’t have overlords. We used to have the Supreme Intelligence, but Carol crushed it. We do have an emperor, but it's more symbolic than anything else. You know what, maybe we do have overlords.” He hit a few keys to engage the auto-pilot so that he could take a break since they weren’t in any immediate danger. “But you don’t have to worry, pretty boy, I’m here to help not kidnap anyone.” To prove his point, Noh-Varr blew a kiss at Tommy.

Tommy almost blushed as he turned away to sit between Cassie and Kamala.

Meanwhile, Teddy and America were busy examining Billy’s wound. Eli had done some good work in patching Billy up, but he would need the equipment at the compound to help prevent infection since his magic was still a little wonky. And Billy had no intention of asking Loki to heal him considering it was his fault that the wound was there in the first place.

“I’ll get you something to drink.” Teddy left to grab a bottle of water from the in-unit cooler.

Billy gratefully took the water and slammed about half of it before stopping to breathe.

Kamala undid her mask and rubbed her eyes. “Today was a lot. Does anyone have any idea how to fight a demon? All I know is everything I watched from _Supernatural_ and _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_. And somehow I don’t think that’ll help us.”

“I don’t know,” said Cassie, “stabbing Mother with a wooden stake doesn’t sound like a bad plan.”

“That only works on vampires,” said America. “Not demons.”

“Not that Mother is either one of those,” added Loki.

The ship was mostly silent as everyone, except for Noh-Varr, turned to Loki.

“What do you mean Mother isn’t a demon?” asked Billy. “It required a blood sacrifice to summon her, and she crawled out of an infernal portal. How is she not a demon?”

Noh-Varr continued to ignore them all as he switched on the sound system. Immediately, Beyoncé’s “Formation” started to play. 

The song barely had the chance to play the verse about the “Illuminati mess” when Billy groaned and he flicked his wrist. And finally, his magic started to work as sparks of blue light washed over the keyboard and shut the sound system off. “Look, I love Beyoncé as much as the next homo, but now isn’t time.”

Noh-Varr sat back on the pilot’s chair. “Sorry.”

“I ain’t sorry,” whispered Cassie. 

Noh-Varr gave Cassie a thumb’s up. “Does that mean you and I are on good terms now?”

Cassie shrugged. “You had a gun to my head and I shot you with a stringer, I think we’re even now.”

Eli coughed. “I hate to interrupt this bonding moment, but can we get back to Mother. Loki, if Mother isn’t a demon then what is she?”

Loki had slunk away to grab himself some snacks from a cabinet on the ship. He was about halfway done with a bag of chips when he had everyone’s attention back on him. “Oh? I thought that should be obvious. Mother’s a god. Who else could hold the soul of a god but another god?”

The ship was silent once more until Kamala blurted out exactly what everyone was thinking. “She’s a fucking god!”

Loki waved a hand and scrunched up his face. “I mean, yeah, technically. She’s a bit more complicated than that.”

“Then uncomplicate it,” said Teddy.

“Well, space prince, since you asked so nicely,” said Loki. “Mother, or as she known by other higher powers, Lilith, is a god in the sense that she runs a domain in Hell. She’s one of many Hell-Lords like Mephisto, Lucifer, Beelzebub, the Hellstrom siblings, and also my sister, Hela. In fact, Hela and Mother are good friends, that’s how Mother ended up with my soul. They were making some type of exchange and my soul got caught up in the mix.”

Tommy shook his head as they were getting off track now. “Mother’s name is Lilith? Do you mean Lilith as in the first human woman? Adam’s first wife?”

Loki nodded. “That one. Wow...so the speedster is the well-read one.” He looked over to Billy. “But you’re the sorcerer. This should be your area expertise.”

Billy glared at Loki. “I know about Lilith too. She has many legends. Some portray her as a witch, others a demon, and some refer to her as a goddess. But given how complicated her stories are, I’m sure you can unravel the truth since you spent so much time with her.”

“Sure. Long story short, when Mother left her earthly paradise, she mated with the fallen angel, Sammael. The two took control of a corner of Hell, their god was pissed and killed Sammael and their unborn son, and in her rage, Mother killed their god and took his power.”

Eli shook his head. “Whoa! Wait a minute! Mother killed God? But He’s the creator of Heaven and Earth!”

Loki cackled at the top of his lungs. “Earthlings! You’ll believe anything a strong man tells you. Even with all the gods in the multiverse, you believe the one you worship is the supreme one.” 

Loki regained his composure and stopped laughing long enough to give a proper explanation. “No! He only created the angels and you, Earthlings. That was the limit of his powers. Damn...what was his name? Ah! Yah, that was it. That idiot was almost as arrogant as Odin and equally as annoying as Thor in the old days. I’m honestly glad Mother gave him the knife.”

Billy took another sip from his water. “Then what does Mother want with me? She called me Demiurge when we first met. What’s that supposed to mean?”

As Loki prepared to open his mouth, America strolled over towards him. “Choose your words very carefully,” she whispered so no one else would hear.

“Demiurge.” Loki started to speak as he briefly made eye contact with America before looking back at Billy. “Demiurge is who you’re destined to become. Your powers will allow you to ascend to godhood and become a being capable of rewriting the rules of the multiverse.”

“Oh,” muttered Billy.

Tommy felt his heart clench up at the thought of his brother becoming a god. “And why does Mother want him?”

“Mother seeks to resurrect her unborn son and unleash Hell upon all of reality to expand the territories of the Hell-Lords. Not that I understand why she’d want to expand Hell given how much she hates Lucifer and Mephisto, but that’s beside the point. For her to achieve her villainous plans, she’ll need Billy’s powers to rewrite reality. Even someone as powerful as Mother cannot fundamentally rewrite reality the way she needs to resurrect her son and release the hordes of Hell.” 

Kate grabbed her bow and quiver. “So we all we have to do is keep Mother away from Billy then work on a way to banish her ass back to Hell and no apocalypse?”

“That’s a rather simple way of putting things, but yes,” said Loki.

“Alright, so how do we banish her?” asked Teddy.

Loki shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. Thor and I were only able to defeat Hela and send her back to her Hell dimension by resurrecting Surtur so he could start Ragnarok and blow up Asgard with her still on it.”

“Oh!” said everyone.

*~*

Back in New York, things were only getting worse.

Wanda returned to the Sanctum Sanctorum to bring Strange the news about her trip to Japan only to find demonic magic running wild in the city. Strange filled her in on everything that’s happened since she left, especially the part where he learned that Mother was after Billy specifically. The news only served to infuriate her as she opened a portal to take her to her sons.

Strange stopped her though as they stood at the foyer of the Sanctum. “You can’t leave yet, Wanda! I need your help here.”

“My sons need me!” said Wanda.

“They do, but so does the rest of the universe.” Strange closed the portal. He brought her to a mirror and taped on it to cause the glass to ripple like water. They soon saw the image of Mother with some of the Avengers kneeling before her. “Mother’s already taken control of their minds. And she’s spreading her power throughout the city. It’s taking everything Wong and I can do to just to keep the Sanctum secure. We’ll need your help.”

Wanda had tears forming in her eyes. “What of Billy and Tommy?”

  
“I promise you they’re safe,” said Strange. “They left the city with the other Young Avengers. So long as they’re gone then Mother can’t get to William.”

Wanda stared at the image as so many of her friends now served Mother. “And we can’t fight her directly because we’ll end up like the others. How is she able to do this? What kind of demon is that powerful?”

“Mother isn’t a demon. She is the Hell-Lord, Lilith.” Wong walked towards them as he just left the library and carried with him a massive tome. “I’ve already begun to take the necessary precautions to fortify the Sanctum. However, we have other problems. As you know, Mother’s power is spreading across the city. If we don’t do something soon then she’ll control the minds of over nine million people.”

“Not to mention the heroes that operate out of this city,” said Strange. “Wong. Wanda. It’s up to us to save the city. We’ll start by bringing every hero in the city to the Sanctum so that Mother can’t take control over them. Then we’ll figure out a way to banish or kill her.”

“Understood,” said Wong.

Wanda nodded. “I’ll do my part. But I wish to speak with my sons first.”

“Make it fast,” said Strange. “We don’t have much time and I don’t have a Time Stone anymore to save our asses.”

*~*

The Quinjet landed at the newly-rebuilt compound. After the Kree Starforce wrecked the place, the Stark Foundation sunk a pretty penny in rebuilding everything. And for the original Young Avengers, it was like being back home as this was where they met and started the team.

Eli unlocked the building for them as they found it completely unoccupied. “Where are the other Avengers? Are they on a mission?”

“Maybe,” said Kate as she strolled inside with the lights coming alive. “So should we let the trickster inside? Or should he sleep inside because I can’t see an outcome where he doesn’t betray us or Mother takes control of him.”

“I refuse to sleep outside like some animal,” said Loki.

Cassie smirked. “Fine, but you’re sleeping on the couch then.”

Before Loki could argue, the monitor in the living room went live. The Young Avengers jumped back at first until they saw Wanda’s face.

“Boys!” said Wanda.

“Mom!” Tommy and Billy ran towards the monitor.

“Thank god.” Wanda breathed a deep sigh. “I’m glad you made it out of the city. Things are getting worse here.”

Billy touched his injured shoulder. “Then you know about Mother?”

“Strange filled me in. We’re working on bringing all the heroes to the Sanctum so Mother can’t take control of their mind like she did the Avengers.”

Everyone’s eyes lit up in horror. Tommy stumbled closer to the monitor. “Mother has control of the Avengers?”

Wanda nodded. “Rhodey, Bucky, Sam, Jen, and Jane confronted Mother and lost. They’re now her puppets.”

“No,” whispered Eli as he dropped to the couch.

“Does Strange know how to stop Mother?” asked Kate.

“We’re working on that too,” said Wanda. “Just stay at the compound and be safe. I’ll contact you when we know more.”

There were nods all around as the monitor went black as Wanda cut the transmission off. 

Billy punched the wall as tears started to gather in his eyes. “The Avengers...This is all happening because of me!”

Teddy went over to Billy and hugged him. “It’s not your fault. Don’t blame yourself for Mother’s actions.” Teddy kissed Billy on the forehead. “Come with me. Let’s get your shoulder properly patched up then we can get you to bed. We all need to be well-rested before we even attempt to take on Mother again.” 

Billy didn’t bother to put up much of a protest as Teddy walked him to the infirmary. 

Eli gave a deep sigh. “Teddy’s right though. We should all rest up. We’re no good to anyone if we’re too exhausted to put up a fight.”

“Yup! To bed, everyone!” Cassie hooked onto Kamala’s arm.

Kamala yawned. “Good! Because I’m super exhausted. Oh! My parents. Do you think Billy can trick my family into thinking I was home the entire time?”

“If he’s going to become a god then that should be within his limits.”

America looked around the building to find that the place appeared fully stocked. “Can I get a shower? And does this place have all the toiletries.”

“We got you covered,” said Kate. “I’ll show you around.”

Tommy looked over to Loki and pointed at the couch. “You stay there. And if you try anything funky then I’m punching you to the Stone Age.”

Loki raised his hands. “So quick to violence. Is that how you treat all your guests?”

“Only the ones who stab my brother.” Tommy pushed Loki to the couch before moving onto Noh-Varr. His expression softened a little. “Since Cassie’s forgiven you, I suppose we can let you have a room.”

Noh-Varr smiled. “Really? Will we be neighbors? Or any chance you and I can share a bed? I promise that I’m a good cuddle buddy.”

Tommy snorted. “You’re cute, but I’m not into the whole boyfriend twins thing.”

“But you’re into boyfriends?” Noh-Varr followed Tommy to the bedrooms.

“Shut up, pretty boy.”

*~*

The morning sun greeted everyone with everyone waking up confused until they remembered the events of yesterday. 

In one bedroom, Billy curled up closer to Teddy for protection. The bandage on his shoulder only had a little bit of spotting as the wound was quickly healing itself now. Teddy pulled Billy even closer as he wanted nothing more than to keep his precious Billy safe.

In another bedroom, Kate pulled her covers over her head as she felt guilty about leaving the team to find out what happened to her own mother. And in another room, Cassie slept in another bedroom and shared similar sentiments as she too was leaving the team to be with her family. Meanwhile, Kamala just covered her face as she didn’t want to deal with the morning.

Eli rolled to his side as he thought about how to save the Avengers from Mother. In his bedroom, Tommy thought about the other Avengers but was also worried about failing to protect Billy. All while he dealt with the conflicting thoughts about Kate leaving and Noh-Varr constantly flirting with him. As for Noh-Varr, he yawned and closed his eyes as he went back to picturing Tommy naked.

Meanwhile, America rolled out of bed and felt positively refreshed. She hadn’t slept on a bed as comfy as that in a long time. She left her bedroom and found Loki groaning on the couch as it was clear he didn’t have a pleasant night.

Loki groaned again before turning to America. “Don’t you dare laugh at my pain.”

America laughed anyways as she went into the kitchen.

It wasn’t long before everyone left their rooms and they got together to work on breakfast. Things were quiet except for the clinking of dishes and the sounds of them cooking. And so far, no one spoke of what happened yesterday or any plans to stop Mother from unleashing Armageddon upon the universe. 

Later in the day, they sat outside as they got to work on how to deal with Mother. It was apparent that no easy solution would work, but that didn’t stop Billy from asking questions on them being able to do the bare minimum.

“How do we disrupt Mother’s mind control?” asked Billy. “If we can at least rescue the other Avengers and prevent her from taking over their minds again then we can hurl everyone at her just like with what they did to Thanos. Not even Mother can win in a fight against all of us.”

Loki shrugged. He regretted it though as sleeping on the couch did a number to him. “It could work, but I can’t think of a spell powerful enough that Mother can’t counter. She’s been using magic longer than I’ve been alive.”

Tommy worked on a chart as he mapped out their strengths against the Avengers just in case they ended up getting into a fight. “What if we just get the Avengers out of the city? Would Mother lose control over them?”

“That wouldn’t work either,” said Loki. “While Mother can’t leave the city, her spell would still control anyone she possesses.”

Cassie groaned. “Why are there so many rules with magic and demons? How are we supposed to counter any of it?” She shook her head as she buried her hands in her face. “I’m almost grateful that I’m staying in California for university so I don’t have to deal with this mess.” She gulped as she realized she said that part aloud. 

Eli’s jaw hung open. “You’re leaving the team?”

“So are Kamala and Kate!” blurted out Cassie.

“Seriously!” shouted Teddy, Billy, and Eli.

Kate and Kamala kicked Cassie’s legs. 

Loki’s face began to beam with joy as he leaned in closer. “Oh! The drama. How I’ve missed seeing people fight each other for petty reasons.”

America raised her eyebrows. “Haven’t you just spent a few years in Hell?”

“Demons are a different kind of petty. It’s not as entertaining as human pettiness.” Loki hushed America as he wanted to see the Young Avengers argue amongst themselves even though they didn’t have the time for it.

Noh-Varr got in the middle of it though as he tried to break up the fighting. “I’m sure that this news is devastating to everyone, but we don’t have time for it. We have a universe to save, remember?”

As the words escaped Noh-Varr’s lips, a fiery portal opened at the compound. They could all feel the power and the disturbance the portal brought as they sprang to their feet. Tommy yelled about them needing their gear when Billy cast a spell to dress everyone in their uniforms and grabbed their equipment for them.

Emerging from the portal was the possessed Avengers with Laufey. They stomped out of the portal as they were ready to eliminate any threat to get to Billy.

“Hand over the Demiurge, Loki,” said Laufey. “Or else. Mother has granted me her blessing to bring the boy god back by any means necessary.”

Loki curled his lips. He was about to say something clever when Tommy got in the way.

Tommy moved his hands at great speed to blow Laufey and the Avengers back a few yards. With them distracted, it gave Tommy the chance to give the team a rundown of his plan. “We’re doing this sooner than I expected, but it’ll have to do. Loki. Billy. Do you think you can create a magical solution to at least stun the Avengers so we can escape? We don’t have the means to go toe to toe with Thor and She-Hulk.”

“I think we can handle that,” said Billy. “Or do you plan on betraying us, Loki?”

“I’ll gladly help since I don’t want my father to kill me.”

Tommy nodded. “Get to work then! The rest of you, we need to counteract the Avengers and Laufey’s abilities. Kate, Bucky’s yours. Cassie and Kamala, take out Rhodey. Eli, I know it’ll hurt but kick Sam’s ass.” Half the team broke off as they got ready for the fight, which left only Teddy, America, and Noh-Varr behind to face the bigger threats. “America, are you strong enough to handle Jane on your own? She’s a goddess so long as she wields Mjolnir so it’ll be like fighting Mother”

America punched her hand. “Not sure, but I’m down to test my limits.”

“She’s all yours then! Teddy, you and I will fight Jen. Noh, that leaves Laufey to you.”

“Do be careful,” said Loki. “My father likes to kill pretty boys. He left me to die in the wild.”

Noh-Varr grabbed a pair of blasters from their holsters. “I got this, partner. Just try not to get pulverized by a Hulk.”

Teddy shifted into his Skrull form to maximize his strength. “Yeah, this is going to suck. Get the spell done as quickly as possible, babe.”

Billy’s body radiated with a blue aura, while Loki generated a green aura. “You can’t rush magic, babe,” said Billy before the magic overwhelmed him. 

Billy and Loki started to float in the air together as they began to speak in tongues, while the rest of the team did battle against Laufey and the possessed Avengers.

*~*

Once again, the compound was under siege but in a different context. Instead of Thanos’ army or Kree soldiers, it was a battle between Avengers as a demonic version of the civil war trashed everything.

Kate shot an explosive arrow close enough to Bucky that the explosion forced him to relinquish his gun. The opening gave Kate the time she needed to charge at Bucky to attack him with her bow before he could recover. While fighting close range with a metal-armed, master assassin generally wasn’t a good idea, Kate was confident enough in Clint’s training that he could hold her own. She swung her bow around to push Bucky’s metal arm aside which gave her the chance to kick him in the chest.

Meanwhile, Eli dove over Sam as Sam flew at him at a low range. Eli narrowly avoided Sam’s attack, which gave him the chance to toss his shield. Sam responded by landing on the ground and armed himself with the same Vibranium shield that Steve once wielded. Their shields collided with Eli running fast to grab his shield and block Sam’s incoming blow.

Kamala carried a shrunken Cassie away as Rhodey fired missiles at them. The explosions were nothing too crazy considering that Mother sent the Avengers to kill the Young Avengers, which led them both to assume enough of Rhodey’s consciousness was still in there. To stop Rhodey, they initiated a simple combo. 

Kamala threw Cassie towards Rhodey and she managed to land on his armor so she could attack from the inside just like her dad did to Tony Star. Meanwhile, Kamala kept Rhodey distracted by using her stretchy body to confuse him as Cassie damaged the suit’s computer.

Thunder roared and cracked as lightning struck the ground. America managed to fly around Jane’s attacks as she waved Mjolnir carelessly. With the lightning crashing, America punched the air to generate a star portal that she disappeared inside before Jane could stop her. 

Now that Jane was confused, America emerged from another portal behind her to strike Jane as hard as she could. America’s fist slammed into Jane’s face, doing maximum damage, but Jane showed no signs of slowing down as she swung Mjolnir towards America.

Laufey blew cold air everywhere but Noh-Varr was quick enough to avoid Laufey’s attacks. While Noh-Varr wasn’t as fast as Tommy, he was still fast enough that Laufey wouldn’t take him down easily. And as Noh-Varr did circles around Laufey, he moved in close to bombarded Laufey’s freezing body with round after round of laser blasts. 

The lasers left their mark, but it still wasn’t enough to kill Laufey. Laufey swung his massive club towards Noh-Varr. While the attack missed, the goal wasn’t to squash Noh-Varr, it was merely to stun him. The force of the attack nearly knocked him off his feet as the club generated enough force to leave him unbalanced.

Teddy took to the sky as he looked for any chance to get Jen with a close shot, while Tommy ran faster than he ever thought possible to sucker punch Jen before running away. Tommy did everything in his power to keep out of Jen’s range as he knew he would die if Jen hit him with full Hulk strength. 

As Jen stumbled about on the field, Teddy took his chance. He dive-bombed after Jen and latched onto her. He threw her as hard as he could to the ground with the goal being just to slow Jen down as none of them were strong enough to actually stop a Hulk.

However, the attack barely did any damage. Jen rose back to her feet, still green and angry as her bulky frame seemed to grow even more in size. Jen slammed her hands together to generate a massive shockwave that pushed Tommy and Teddy back.

As the fighting continued, Billy and Loki joined hands together as magic surged around them. Billy had to do most of the work since he had the most power, but Loki used what power he had to direct the spell’s intent. Soon, an intricate pattern formed beneath them as what started with a simple square saw to several more lines, arches, and triangles forming in the middle of it. Loki generated a Norse symbol of protection that he learned from his adopted mother, Frigga.

While Loki wasn’t certain if the spell would work as he intended, he had enough faith in his mother’s teachings to be willing to take the chance.

However, because they were conducting a ritual, Billy and Loki weren’t focusing on the battle. What started as a fairly even match quickly turned against the Young Avengers.

It started with Eli dodging Sam’s shield, while the shield continued to sail and ricocheted against Mjilnor. The blow generated a massive, electrical shockwave that stunned America and even caught Tommy as he was preparing a super punch against Jen.

Now that Teddy lost his partner, he was forced to fend off against Jen on his own, which went south quickly. Teddy struggled just to dodge Jen’s attack with every blow he did take feeling like a Quinjet crashed into him.

Meanwhile, Jane turned her lightning towards Rhodey to revitalize his armor. He fired a repulsor blast that struck the ground and sent Kamala flying. Cassie tried to fire a few stinger blasts to slow Rhodey down but it did no good and she too got caught in the repulsor blasts’ shockwave.

When Kate went to punch Bucky once more, Bucky caught her wrists and turned her body against her. He spun her around into a chokehold before tossing her aside with enough force that she ended up crashing into Eli. And at that moment, Sam got his chance to kick them both.

Laufey slammed his club down once more. Even as Noh-Varr fared better in his fight, his energy was slowly depleting. Noh-Varr took a deep breath and went after Laufey again only to get hit with a stray lightning blast from Jane.

Seeing them fall brought a big grin to Laufey’s face as he set his sights onto Billy and Loki. “And now for our prize and my next meal.” Laufey slammed his club to the ground, slightly disrupting their magic. Loki’s eyes returned to normal as he saw the rest of the team had lost their fight.

Loki tried to pull a barrier around them but Laufey blew a chilling gust in their direction that left Loki too cold to put up much of a fight. 

However, Billy was still lost to the magic. His body began to glow with golden light as he retained a degree of consciousness to see what happened to his friends.

“No! You want the Demiurge so bad then here! Have a taste!” Billy pulled the magic into his body then unleashed it as a massive shockwave that struck Laufey and the possessed Avengers.

Laufey was thrown across the compound, while the Avengers dropped to their hands and knees.

Billy crashed to the ground with his eyes returning to their normal color. He was gasping for air as Teddy and Tommy crawled over to help him up.

Jen was the first to move. She started to push herself up and took several deep breaths. “Kids,” Jen said in her normal voice. “You’re...okay.”

Eli stumbled towards Jen, while still carrying his shield. “Jen? Is it the real you?”

Jen nodded as the other Avengers started to get back up too. “For now...I can feel Mother scratching at my head. She’s going to take control of us again. Billy, whatever it was you did, it disrupted Mother’s spell, but it won’t last much longer. You all need to leave!”

“But where do we go?” asked Cassie. “Who can help us?”

“You need to go somewhere that none of us know about and can’t reach,” said Jen as she grabbed her green hair. The others expressed similar pain as it was clear that Mother was starting to regain control. “Mother knew you’d be here because she read our thoughts and knows how much this place means to you. Get on the Quinjet and leave.”

Tommy nodded. “Let’s go guys. Billy...do you think you can一”

Billy’s eyes started to glow blue once more. “I know what you’re thinking.” He fired another blast of magic at the Avengers. This time, he was focused his intent on just stunning them so that it would take Mother just a little while longer for her to reclaim control over them.

They ran to the Quinjet, leaving the Avengers behind. Noh-Varr had the engines running and immediately took to the sky without a destination set as they only needed to focus on getting out of there.

Meanwhile, they could see from the monitors Laufey returned. He opened a portal and took the Avengers with him as he no doubt was bringing them straight to Mother so she could re-establish her control.

They watched the monitors, feeling pitiful for themselves as there wasn’t much else they could do for anyone. 

“Where do we go now?” asked Kate.

There was silence as nobody had a plan.

At least until Kamala spoke up. “Set course for Jersey City...we’re going to my place.”

*~*

Once again, Noh-Varr flew them to safety as he got them to Jersey City. The Quinjet landed in an empty park not too far from Kamala’s house, but their presence alerted many people as they immediately flocked to see the Avengers. Luckily, they weren’t too disappointed when they saw it was the Young Avengers instead. 

The team took a couple of selfies, while America, Noh-Varr, and Loki watched the crowd flip out before they finally left.

Kamala’s house was only a block away from the park.

“You got this,” said Kate as she patted Kamala’s back.

Kamala undid her mask and knocked on the door. Normally, she would’ve unlocked the door herself, but she figured this would be a better way of keeping her family from losing their minds.

The door flew open as Kamala’s parents, Yusuf and Muneeba, came running out. They screamed her name as they stared with a blank expression on their faces.

Kamala waved at them. “Hi, mom. Hi, dad. Um...is it alright if my friends come inside?”

“Hi Mr. and Mrs. Khan,” the team said, nervously, as they waved at Kamala’s parents.

It was safe to say that the first few minutes were spent with lots of yelling and questions before Kamala’s parents finally calmed down enough so that Kamal could explain herself. She explained how she got her powers about two years ago from the contaminated fish oil incident that sparked some people to undergo Terrigenesis. 

Kamala sat on the couch surrounded by her parents, while the rest of the team kept their distance. “So that’s how I became Ms. Marvel. I’ve been working with the Young Avengers for about a year now.”

“You’ve been keeping this a secret from us all this time?” said her mother, Muneeba.

“Sorry, mom. I just didn’t think you and dad would understand.”

Yusuf frowned as he got up from the couch. He turned to her teammates. “Thank you for keeping our Kamala safe.”

“You’re welcome, sir,” said Eli. “And thank you for raising Kamala to be such a strong woman. She’s been a major help to our team.”

Cassie nodded. “She’s saved our necks many times!”

Yusuf smiled. “Who would’ve thought, my daughter would be a superhero. We’ll have to talk about this later though, Kamala.”

Muneeba agreed. “We’ve been watching the reports about New York. Things are very bad.”

“We know,” said Kamala. “Is it okay if everyone stays here for the night?”

“It’s fine with us,” said Muneeba. “Your brother and Tyesha left town for the weekend so we have space.”

Kamala breathed a sigh of relief. “Aamir is gone? Perfect!” She turned over to Billy and Tommy. “My brother...he’s been a bit of a problem lately. We’re working on it though. I’m just glad I don’t have to argue with him about letting two Jewish boys stay at our house.”

“They’re Jewish?” said Yusuf. “Oh, it’s a very good thing Aamir is out of town then.”

Billy and Tommy nervously smiled as they weren’t sure how they were supposed to take it. 

America smirked as she had a plan for derailing that conversation for Billy and Tommy's benefit. “How would he feel about aliens or a pagan god?” asked America.

“What?” said Yusuf and Muneeba. 

Teddy, Noh-Varr, and Loki started to wave at Kamala’s parents. 

Muneeba shook her head as she left for the kitchen. “I’ll get back to making dinner.”

*~*

That night, Tommy sat on a bench at the park across the street from Kamala’s house. After everything that’s happened, he needed fresh air and distance. He struggled to keep it all together as not only was Billy apparently destined to become a god, but he had to protect his would-be god of a brother from a devil that wanted his power to resurrect her son and bring about the end of the world.

Nothing about this was typical and it made Tommy want to scream.

Tommy dragged his fingernails against his cheeks as he resisted the urge to scream because if he screamed then he would have alerted the entire state. And with any luck, Mother would then send Laufey and the Avengers after them again.

“You look positively miserable.”

Pulled away from his misery, Tommy looked back to find Noh-Varr standing close to him. Noh-Varr was eating a basic hot dog and had another in his hand that he handed over to Tommy. “They’re pretty good. Not as good as the ones in the city though.”

Tommy accepted the hot dog and was about to take a bite when he hesitated. “You didn’t poison it, did you?”

“Given how miserable you are, would that matter?”

“No, but I had to ask since you tried to kill my friend, your former boss kidnapped my brother’s boyfriend, and your current boss stabbed my brother then released a demon from Hell.”

Noh-Varr cringed as he took a seat beside Tommy. “In my defense, I was a soldier. I had no choice but to follow orders.”

“Bullshit.” Tommy took a bite from the hot dog. “Soldiers always use that line to excuse themselves from the war crimes they committed and its pure garbage. You always have a choice. At least have the decency to own up that you’re not as good of a person as you think you are.”

Noh-Varr finished his hot dog. “You’re probably right. That’s partly why I’m still here and not on Hala. I could’ve returned home at any time but...I no longer wanted to be the monster that they raised me to be. I want to be something more.”

Tommy kept eating. “So you want to be a go-go boy dancing to Beyoncé’s music? That’s a hell of a career jump.”

“Better than being ordered to kill people. I hated everything I did as a member of Starforce. Now, being here, working with youーthis is my second chance. And I don’t plan on blowing it.” 

Tommy huffed as he finished his hot dog. “Well, you certainly chose a hell of a time to show up. If you joined us sooner then all you would’ve had to worry about are mobsters. Now, we get to freak out over a super demon that can easily kill us all. And now I have to figure out how to keep my brother alive because I’m the only one, aside from Loki, who knows anything about fighting demons. And my team is falling apart. Two of my friends are going to leave the team because of their families, not that I can blame them for that. And the girl I kinda liked dumped me and is moving across the country. And...and.”

Noh-Varr placed his hand over Tommy’s hand while looking up to the starry sky. “It’s pretty out here. I enjoy being able to see the stars even though I prefer living in the city.”

“Are you even listening to me?” Tommy asked, while not pulling his hand away from Noh-Varr. Tommy kept his hand there as Noh-Varr began to gently squeeze it.

Noh-Varr smiled at Tommy. “You weren’t even a team when you faced Yon-Rogg and the Super Skrull. And yet you still saved Prince Dorrek from the Kree Empire and the Skrull Radicals. Shouldn’t that tell you everything you need to know? Aside from the personal troubles, you’ve already proven yourselves capable of fighting an entity like Mother.”

“Plus.” Noh-Varr leaned over to Tommy. “You shouldn’t make yourself so miserable. Just take a breath and relax for a moment.”

“What?” Before Tommy could say another word, Noh-Varr leaned in to kiss him. Tommy’s eyes widened for a moment before he relaxed into the kiss and pushed himself a little closer to Noh-Varr.

Noh-Varr broke the kiss and moved a hand to stroke Tommy’s chin, gently. “Better?”

Tommy shook his head. “No, but thanks for trying.”

Noh-Varr chuckled. “Anytime. Do cut yourself a break though. This fight, it’s not a burden you should carry alone. Let your team carry some of the weight with you. That’s what they’re here for.”

“You’re right,” whispered Tommy as he leaned just a little closer to Noh-Varr. “Before...before we head back to the house.”

“You want to make out some more?” finished Noh-Varr.

“Yeah.” This time Tommy initiated the kiss.

*~*

Billy and Teddy sat together in the backyard of the Khan house. They found a private corner for themselves as the house was too crowded for them to really be close to each other. 

“A fine mess we got ourselves into,” said Teddy as he wrapped an arm around Billy’s shoulders. “I don’t know which one is worse. My intergalactic troubles or your demon ones.”

While Billy knew Teddy meant it as a joke, he couldn’t bring himself to laugh. “Somehow, I think a devil seeking to kill everyone I love and use me resurrect her son so she can jump-start the apocalypse is worse than just a bad family reunion.”

“Hold it. None of them are my family.” Teddy chuckled a little as he tried once more to bring a smile to Billy’s face only to fail again. Teddy sighed while he pulled Billy closer. “Everything will be okay, Billy. We’ll figure out a way to stop Mother.”

“And if we can’t stop her?” asked Billy. “What will we do then?”

Teddy curled his lips. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

Billy rested his head against Teddy’s chest. “I really need to get some sleep. I barely got any at the compound.”

“Kamala’s parents are setting up some ‘beds’ in the basement for us. Go ahead and get some sleep. I’ll join you soon.”

“Okay. Goodnight, Teddy.” Billy leaned in so that they could kiss. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Teddy watched as Billy went back inside the house. Teddy stayed outside for a couple of minutes longer as he thought about Billy’s troubles. He really had no clue how they could defeat Mother without putting everyone at risk. It frustrated him so much that he couldn’t even begin to picture how Billy was processing things.

Teddy wanted nothing more than to come up with a plan to save Billy from his misfortune, but nothing came to mind except that he too had a powerful need to sleep too.

Teddy got on his feet and went back to the house but stopped as he saw Loki standing against the brick wall. 

“Good evening, Prince Charming,” said Loki.

“What do you want, imp?” asked Teddy.

Loki chuckled. “Sharp tongue. I can see why William finds you so charming.”

Teddy rolled his eyes. “If you’re just looking to taunt me then can it. I’m too tired to put up with your nonsense.”

“Fair enough. Go to bed with your precious godling, young Dorrek. Time runs short for you both since William’s destiny exceeds yours.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Loki raised an eyebrow. “It hasn’t dawned on you yet? William is to become a god, a nigh-omnipotent being capable of rewriting much of reality. And you...you’re a handsome prince, but you’re just a prince. Hardly a worthy partner for one like the Demiurge.”

Loki turned as he made his way to the house. “William will either tire of you and leave or he’ll be forced to spend eternity haunted by your ghost when you finally die. Either way, you two have such a tragic love story in line. I wonder if I’ll live long enough to enjoy it.”

Teddy clenched his fists and glared at Loki’s back. “You really are a soulless bastard. We should’ve let Laufey rip you to shreds like he wanted.”

A smirk graced Loki’s face as he stopped walking. “Ooo, such anger. Be sure to save some of that for Mother. You’ll need it to fight her.”

Loki went back inside, while Teddy was left standing outside and struggled to piece together why Loki was tormenting him so much. Was it Mother’s influence working through him since she still had his soul or was Loki living up to his reputation by sewing chaos everywhere he went?

Either way, Teddy knew he should’ve ignored Loki, but part of him focused on what Loki said about Teddy’s doomed future with Billy. Could Loki actually be right? Were they truly doomed?

*~*

On the top floor of a building near the center of Manhattan, Mother knelt at an altar where a small casket rested. She uttered words in a demonic tongue as threads of silver and gold magic radiated from her being and floated into the casket.

Mother continued her prayer as Laufey and the possessed Avengers watched her closely. Even after they failed to retrieve Billy, she didn’t punish them as she should’ve. She was far too concerned with reestablishing her dominance over the Avengers while also preparing for the ritual to resurrect her son.

“My child. My darling Moridun.” Mother brought herself to the casket with a smile gracing her face. “Soon you will have a body once more. I have the perfect vessel in line for you. It will sustain you for eternity.”

Mother pulled herself away from the casket. “But first. You must feed on a proper meal.” She snapped her fingers with the door opening as a dozen people walked inside. They were all under her control as they lost their free will and were bound to serve her.

The people carried knives in their hands as they surrounded the altar. Beneath them, a chain of symbols was drawn on the ground that was unfamiliar to everyone in the room.

“I thank you for your sacrifice,” said Mother. “Now, offer your lives to Moridun!” Mother dragged her thumb against her throat, which caused the people to copy her as they dragged the knives against their throats.

Blood gushed forth as life escaped their bodies. They collapsed to the ground with their blood pooling beneath them. Mother stood in their blood and continued to chant in a very guttural tongue with magic erupting from her body as she took their blood offering and fed it to what remained of Moridun’s essence, sustaining him for a while longer.

Dark blood poured from Mother’s eyes as she gave a soft moan. “It is almost time, my son! The Demiurge’s light shall expire so that your darkness may live on!”

*~*

The Sanctum Sanctorum quickly became crowded as portals opened up with more heroes flooding inside before it was too late.

“Watch it, buddy!” Jessica Jones nearly knocked Danny Rand to the ground.

Luke Cage gently grabbed her shoulders. “Easy, Jess. We’re all friends here.”

“Are we? I didn’t ask to get dragged into Hogwarts.”

Danny chuckled. “Better here than out there with all the dark magic running through the streets. Granted, I’d prefer to be fighting than hiding here.”

Matt Murdock muttered similar sentiments. “We should be protecting the people. Not hiding like cowards!”

It was hard to ignore such claims. Every hero active in the New York City area was crammed into the Sanctum for their own safety as Strange and Wanda tried to prevent Mother’s spell from claiming more heroes. Misty Knight, Colleen Wing, and Pasty Walker were amongst them along with Talos and Soren. There were a few other unfamiliar faces, some that appeared to be former S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, while others were other local sorcerers.

Peter tugged on his mask as he was dressed in his Spider-Man gear when he got pulled into the Sanctum. He sat beside Steve while staring out the window to see more possessed people wandering the streets. “I’d hate to think what Tony would have to say about all this if he were still here.”

Steve sighed. “Tony would be trying to find a way to save everyone, but...science won’t do us any good this time.” He looked at the window as it projected images of Queens. There they saw Peter’s Aunt May, MJ, and some of his friends wandering amongst the possessed. “We need a magical solution to stop Mother.”

“I hate having to rely on magic,” Peter said, choking on tears as he watched his loved ones become slaves to Mother.

Meanwhile, Wanda sat with Strange and Wong as they examined the corrupting ley lines. Mother’s power was growing stronger by the moment. 

Wanda slammed her fists on the table. “This is getting ridiculous. We can’t keep hiding here. We’ll need to face Mother sooner or later.”

“And we will, but not yet,” said Strange. “Wanda, we already lost half the Avengers to Mother. She has Jennifer and Jane under her control. We can’t afford to lose anyone else. That’s specifically why I told Thor, Monica, and Bruce to stay away. If we lose anyone else, especially our heavy hitters, then Mother could easily take over the planet from the city.”

“Not to mention,” said Wong, “we have to think of the children’s safety. We have to do everything we can to keep William hidden from Mother.”

Wanda bit her lip. “It’s bad enough I can’t be with my children, but I can’t even effectively protect Billy from this demon.”

“Hell-Lord,” corrected Strange, “but I understand. When we decide to attack, we’ll only get one chance to defeat Mother. You and I both know we can’t afford to blow it. For William’s sake.”

“I know,” whispered Wanda. “I know. Doesn’t make it any easier.”

Wanda turned away from the table and went to the wine cellar. She might as well have something to drink if she was to be miserable and stressed.

*~*

It was a horrible idea, but Billy couldn’t see any other way of stopping Mother.

Billy slipped out of the basement door and away from Teddy’s warm embrace, while the rest of the team slept. He stood in the backyard of the Khan house in the dead of night. If he was going to do this then he needed to act fast before anyone woke up and tried to stop him.

Billy took a deep breath as a wave of blue magic washed over him. Billy’s clothes faded away while he dressed in a new uniform. If Billy really was this Demiurge as Loki claimed then it was time for Billy to dress more seriously so he could actually carry some type of authority.

The blue light faded with Billy taking on a new appearance. His old Wiccan costume was replaced with another bodysuit that was mostly gray with red accents everywhere. However, his sleeves and the sides of his torso and legs featured a starry pattern as he gave himself a more cosmic appearance. And tied around his neck, flowing freely was a full-length, red cape that wasn’t torn like his previous one.

Billy liked his new look. While it didn’t have the same pizazz as the one Shuri designed, Billy felt strong in it so it would do the job.

“Here we go, Maximoff,” he whispered to himself. “Don’t fuck it up.”

Sparks of orange light appeared with Billy opening a portal back to the city. 

Crossing through the portal, Billy arrived at the George Washington Bridge, which was mostly blocked off. Much of the city, at least for those who could, had already evacuated in preparation of escaping Mother’s influence. This gave Billy a chance to implement his plan.

Billy pushed his hands forward with threads of blue magic washing over the bridge. The magic coalesced a few yards ahead of him, which was his stopping point. He got as close to that spot but didn’t dare cross the magical line so that he remained outside of Mother’s sphere of influence.

Billy took another deep breath. “Mother! Get your ass over here!” He shouted at the top of his lungs. “I know you can hear me, Lilith! You want my powers. You want the Demiurge then show yourself! And only yourself. If you send the Avengers or Laufey then I’m leaving this dimension and you’ll never achieve your plans!”

Everything about this plan was stupid, but Billy couldn’t see any other choice. Even with the inspiration that he took from Doctor Strange, this was all a bad idea. Normally, he would never even consider taunting a demon the way he just did. However, desperate times called for desperate measures.

Flames rose from the ground as Mother came to view. While Mother appeared as beautiful as an angel, Billy had to remind himself that she was a blood-thirsty, Hell Lord. Mother strutted across the bridge, wearing a silver dress that swayed with her every step.

“My. My. Such foul language,” said Mother. “You shouldn’t speak to a lady in such a manner, William. Especially to Mother.”

Billy rolled his eyes. “I don’t care. And are you going to drop the whole ‘talking in the third-person’ act because it’s getting stale?” 

Mother chuckled. “Forgive me. I’ve spent millennia living amongst demons. Speaking to them in the third-person tends to get more results.” She walked towards the edge of the line as she too sensed Billy’s spell as highlighting the border where her power would wane. She stopped right at the edge as she wanted to be as close to Billy as possible. “Now, William, am I to truly believe that you offer yourself to me willingly? Or are you plotting some type of trick to banish me?”

“No tricks,” said Billy. “I’m here of my own accord.”

“Then cross the line and come to me.”

Billy shook his head. He straightened his posture as he wanted to project the most amount of strength possible even as he wanted to piss his pants. “I’m not surrendering. At least, not yet. Actually, I’ve come to make a bargain.”

“A bargain?” asked Mother.

“Yes. Adhere to my demands then you’ll have your Demiurge.”

Mother smirked as she brought a finger to her bottom lip. “Well then, I’m listening. Speak your demands, William, and I shall forge our contract.”

Billy nodded as he began to list his demands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A deal with the devil! What is Billy thinking? And how will this backfire? You'll have to wait until next week to find out! And just as a slight spoiler warning for the next chapter, be prepared to hate me. That's all I will say for now.
> 
> "One Way or Another" by Blondie.


	4. Look What You Made Me Do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays, beautiful readers! I hope you've been enjoying the holiday season. And if not then I hope this fanfic distracts you from all the bullshit!
> 
> I chose "Look What You Made Me Do" by Taylor Swift for the chapter title because certain lyrics felt very appropriate for the bat shit crazy things that happen here.
> 
> Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Look What You Made Me Do

It was almost dawn now, which meant that time was running out for Billy.

Mother dragged her finger against the parchment as she scribbled the last of Billy’s demands to forge their agreement. She checked her spelling and grammar since demonic contracts were a fickle thing that must be perfect to avoid it backfiring. “Now. Are you sure that’s everything? Once we sign the contents then it becomes official. There will be no take-backs.”

Billy took a deep breath. He extended his hand out to take the parchment from Mother as he wanted to review the contract. While he wasn’t a lawyer, he casted a spell upon himself to give him enough legal knowledge to see through Mother’s deception.

Surprisingly, there were no major red flags in the contract. However, the closer he read the document, the more he noticed some peculiarities.

“What is your intention with me, specifically, Lilith?” asked Billy. “Are you just draining my magic for Moridun?”

Mother shook her head. “Oh, no, sweetheart. I have something far worse in store for you.” She brought a hand to her chin. “For Moridun to live, he must feast upon a living host. I will fuse Moridun’s essence into your soul where he will slowly devour you until he finally awakens. It’ll take time and the process will be painful as you descend to madness, but eventually, it won’t matter because you’ll be dead.”

Billy gulped. He hadn’t expected Mother to be so blunt, but he should’ve known better. “And...and you can guarantee the security of my loved ones and everyone else on Earth? Should any demon or Hell-Lord, including yourself, kill them一”

“Yes. Yes. That’s all in subsection six of line eight.” Mother tried to point out the line on the contract but couldn’t step much further. Even as her domain of power grew in the time they were there, Billy was cautious enough to take a step back for every inch she gained. “Should any of them come to fatal harm by the hands of any demon or Hell-Lord, including by my hands, then our contract becomes nullified.”

“I’d like to make one more addition.”

Mother huffed. She grew tired of standing on the George Washington Bridge and hashing out these details with him. “What else might that be?”

“Loki’s soul. I want ownership of it.”

“Oh?” Mother chuckled as that wasn’t something she expected to hear. “You would take away my little trickster? Fine. I’ll let you have him since owning the Demiurge is a far greater prize.” She pointed at the contract once more to zap a new line onto the document. Billy reviewed it and found it acceptable to him. “As long as there aren’t any more addendums, I ask that you sign the contract, William. And it must be done in blood. Otherwise, I won’t be bound to any of these terms.”

Billy nodded as he cut his index finger. He prepared to sign when he stopped for a moment as another thought crossed his mind. “This isn’t so much an addendum, but a simple request. Before I hand myself over to you, I’d like one hour of freedom so that I can say my goodbyes.”

“And? If I grant you this hour, what is to stop you from breaking our contract?”

“You’ll have the contract. I will be bound to appear before you in an hour even against my will.”

“True. Alright, I’ll grant you the hour you request. But only one hour! Not a minute more.”

Billy nodded. He signed his full name in blood over the bottom of the parchment. His finger burned as he signed the infernal document and the pain didn’t stop until he returned it to Mother.

Mother quickly snatched the document with a gleeful expression on her face. “Wonderful! Your hour starts now, William. Do make the most of it. Oh! And here’s Loki’s soul.” A glass-like orb suddenly appeared in Billy’s hand. It radiated with a golden light that felt surprisingly pure to him as he knew this had to be Loki’s soul. 

Soon after that, Mother vanished in a pillar of fire, leaving Billy behind to contemplate everything he just did.

It was all to protect the ones he loved.

Billy had to remind himself of that. He flicked his wrist to open a portal back to Kamala’s house as the clock started ticking against him.

*~*

Dawn reached the Khan household with everyone slowly starting to wake up in the basement. Teddy was amongst the first to get up and was startled that he couldn’t find Billy sleeping beside him. He quickly ran out of the basement, still dressed in his pajamas, when he found Billy sitting in the kitchen, having coffee with Kamala’s parents.

Billy smiled as he had gotten in earlier and changed into his normal clothes. “Morning, love. Do you want to join us for coffee?”

Teddy’s heart returned to beating at normal speed. He walked over to the table and sat beside Billy, squeezing onto his hand. “No. I’ll just drink some of yours.” Billy smirked as he passed the cup over to Teddy.

“It really is a lovely morning,” said Kamala’s mom, Muneeba. “In light of everything that’s happening in the city.”

Kamala’s father, Yusuf, nodded. “Did you, kids, figure out a plan to defeat this...demon? What of the Avengers? Have they come up with something?”

“Nothing that’ll make a difference,” said Teddy. “Until we can find a way to protect ourselves from Mother’s mind control then we can’t get anywhere near her.”

“Guys!”

Kamala ran into the kitchen with a tablet in hand. She was surprised to see only Billy and Teddy awake, but it would have to do. “Check this out! It’s a broadcast from the city.” 

The tablet showed a live newscast from Manhattan. The anchor speaking clearly showed signs of possession as he claimed to speak on behalf of Mother.

“Surrender to Mother and she will welcome you with open arms. Defy Mother and she shall smite thee. Tick tock, Demiurge. The clock nears zero.”

The anchor repeated the message as images were shown from across the city. People stood like zombies in the middle of the street as they marched to an unknown point.

Muneeba gasped. “Oh, no! What has she done to those people?”

“Strip them of all their free will.”

Loki joined them in the kitchen with Cassie and Noh-Varr following him. Loki poured himself a cup of coffee and downed it without any trouble. “And she’s doing everything in her power to bait you, William. Do not fall for such tricks.”

Billy’s heart tightened as he knew the other meaning of the message. He glanced at his phone to see that only forty minutes remained before he had to surrender himself to Mother. “We need to find a way to slow Mother down. Loki, is there any spell you know that might help us?”

“A spell Mother can’t counter?” Loki started to pour himself another cup before turning to pour one for Cassie. “No. At best, if I was at my full power then maybe if you and I joined forces then we could pull it off. However, you would need to tap into your powers as Demiurge.”

“What’s Demiurge mean?” asked Yusuf.

“Basically Billy’s a potential god.” Cassie sipped her coffee. “Oh! That’s delicious. Is it Columbian?”

Teddy shushed Cassie as he turned to Loki. “You can’t be serious though? I thought Billy wasn’t ready to become Demiurge.”

“He’s not.” Loki chuckled. “If he did then he would potentially destroy all of reality as he goes completely mad from all that power. But, I’m only suggesting he scratches at his full potential, not embrace it fully. So he'd be the Semiurge.”

Billy’s fingers twitched as he felt Loki’s soul in the pocket void he created to store it. He could return Loki’s soul now and give everyone else a fighting chance should Mother try and go back on their contract. “Then let’s try it.”

“Excuse me?” said Loki.

“You heard me. I’ll get your soul back. Then we can deal with Mother.”

*~*

The Young Avengers, America, Noh-Varr, and Loki gathered at the park. They wanted to be as far away from the Khan household as possible so as not to risk inflicting any damage on a residential area. Everyone was dressed in their uniforms as they expected to return to New York once the ritual was complete. And Billy got several compliments for his new uniform.

Billy checked his phone again. He only had ten minutes left before Mother came calling.

Tommy walked over to Billy and locked hands with him. “Are you sure about this? I highly doubt Mother would relinquish Loki’s soul without a fight.”

“I’ll be okay. I can handle this, and, if I’m not ready, I’ll know that you’ll find a way to save me.”

Tommy smirked. “That’s what big brothers are for.” Tommy backed away to give Billy space to conduct the spell. He stood beside Teddy and Noh-Varr with Noh-Varr squeezing onto his hand.

Billy looked over at Loki who stood before him, kneeling. “You ready for this, Loki? I can’t promise this won’t hurt.”

“Oh, I know it’ll hurt,” said Loki. “The only thing more painful than having a soul extracted is having it restored. Do your best, young William.”

Waves of blue magic gathered around Billy as a pentagram formed beneath him. His eyes went pitch black as he wanted to give a perfect illusion that he was casting magic. He wanted to be certain that even Loki would be fooled.

Billy twisted his fingers around with his magic generating lightning over them. The wind howled something fierce as Billy finally opened his pocket dimension. He caught glimpses of everyone fearing what he was doing, which meant things were going exactly as he wanted.

Slowly, the golden orb emerged from the void with Loki’s eyes glistening as he recognized his own soul. Billy used his magic to fling the soul directly into Loki, allowing the merger to begin.

There was an explosive wave of green energy that erupted from Loki. It came with such force that it knocked Billy and everyone else off their feet in the process.

For a moment, there was screaming. Loki cried in agony as green fire swallowed him whole before it finally faded. Then there was only laughter. A wicked laugh with the smoke clearing to reveal someone different. 

A handsome, young man stood before them. His black hair swooped perfectly to frame his face with his emerald-colored eyes almost glistening. He wore a green vest, a pair of black tights, and a fuzzy, green coat over his ensemble. He stared at his hands, admiring the black nail polish before adjusting his gaze to examine the rest of his body.

“At long last, I’m me again! And with all my power.” Loki cackled as he hugged his sides. He stayed there and was amused with himself before his eyes suddenly darted open. “Wait. This isn’t right.”

Eli strapped his shield to his back. “What’s that supposed to mean? Did the spell not work? Is Mother controlling you now?”

Loki shook his head. He looked over to Billy with a horrified expression on his face. “You thought I wouldn’t notice? You already had my soul!” Loki stormed towards Billy as though he would strike him. America flew over to restrain Loki, while Tommy and Teddy went to cover him. “How did you have my soul! Is this some kind of sick joke! Or...No. You fool!”

Noh-Varr moved between Loki and Billy. “Hey now! You got your soul back, there’s no need to be rude.”

“Fool!” Loki said as he pulled his arm from America. “What were you thinking!”

Billy gulped. “It was the only way to save everyone.”

America released Loki as she picked up on what Billy was suggesting. “You didn’t? You met with Mother.”

Billy nodded.

“What!” Kate jumped into the argument with everyone else gathering closer. “Billy, she’s a demon! What were you thinking?”

“I did it to protect all of you!” Billy jumped to his feet. He looked over to Teddy and Tommy who looked equally as horrified as everyone else. “We have no means of stopping Mother. So...I offered myself to her. In exchange for me, she can’t harm the Earth or anyone on it. And she had to give me Loki’s soul. And if she kills any of you then the contract is broken.”

Loki’s jaw dropped as tears gathered around his eyes. “You surrendered your life to save my soul?”

“Yes. And to save everyone else.” Billy swallowed his tears. He glanced at his clock. There were only five minutes left. “Forgive me...it was the only way.”

“Billy.” Tommy and Teddy whispered.

“I love you.” A portal opened up behind Billy which he quickly dove into before anyone could stop him. 

The portal closed and they all knew exactly where he was going.

*~*

The portal opened in the middle of Times Square. Billy stepped out of it as he saw a crowd of thousands of people gathered around the main intersection. People stood in the middle of the street since there was no traffic as this area was the epicenter of Mother’s influence. Every person that stared back at Billy was under Mother’s spell and was nothing more than but her slave.

Billy gulped. He instantly regretted his decision to surrender himself to Mother, but there wasn’t much time for him to focus on his regrets.

Thunder roared over the city. He looked up to find two figures coming directly towards him.

Jane and Rhodey landed in the intersection all dressed up in their armor. Jane swung Mjolnir over her head as she slowly descended from the sky, while Rhodey’s War Machine armor retracted the helmet part.

“You showed up with time to spare,” said Rhodey. “Mother will be very pleased.”

“Mother requested that we escort you to her, William,” said Jane. “It is time for you to surrender your body to Mother so it may become a vessel for her son.”

Billy nodded. “I know. I know. You don’t have to explain what’s going on next. So...where am I flying to?”

“Follow us.” Rhodey’s helmet covered his face once more. The jets on his boots and backplate began to flare up, while Jane and Billy flew of their own will.

They flew to the top floor of a nearby building. The cold stares of the possessed down on the city streets never took their eyes off Billy as he followed Rhodey and Jane closely.

At the top of the building, Billy touched the cement to find an outdoor garden in the middle of the city. Dead plants decorated the garden with a fountain pouring out fresh blood as the coppery smell didn’t go unnoticed. And there was Mother standing at the heart of this evil garden with a casket beside her and another concrete slab that she motioned for Billy to lay on. 

Billy stepped closer to Mother. He looked over to find Laufey and the possessed Avengers acting as her guard. “Somehow I expected virgin sacrifices present.”

Mother smiled. “That can be arranged if it’s something that interests you. I have a large enough crowd gathered where I’m certain I can bring a handful of virgins.”

“No. Our agreement.”

“Yes, I know. Don’t worry, William. I plan on honoring our contract.” Mother touched his shoulder with her cold hands as she guided him to the concrete slab. “Now, rest there. And we will begin the ritual.”

Billy had no other choice but to obey Mother as the contract bounded him just as much as it bound Mother. He laid himself down on the slab and took a deep breath as he prepared for whatever pain came next.

*~*

“That fucking idiot! What was my fucking idiot brother thinking?” Tommy walked circles around the Quinjet as they hovered over the skies. They made no effort to fly back to New York even though they knew that’s where Billy was because they still had no means of fighting Mother.

Loki sat on the floor. The joy of having his soul and reclaiming his true freedom dashed from everything Billy did. “He gave himself up and got my soul back.”

Cassie and Kamala sat next to Loki. They patted him on the back.

“Billy’s too sweet of a guy,” said Cassie. “He wasn’t going to leave you damned for eternity if he had the chance to save you.”

“Even if it means sacrificing himself,” said Kamala.

Loki choked on tears. He thought of Thor and Frigga. Hel, he even found himself thinking of Odin. They loved him far more then his pride allowed him to admit before. And now Billy, this boy, who barely knew Loki tied his sacrifice to save Loki’s wretched soul.

Eli scratched his head. “We have to find a way to save Billy and stop Mother. We can fight the Avengers and Laufey, but if we can’t protect ourselves then we’re done for.”

“Maybe we should try contacting Wanda and Strange,” said Kate. “They may have figured out a way to block Mother’s spell.”

“It’s worth a try.” Noh-Varr messed with the communication links. “I think the Quinjet has a direct line to Strange’s base. I can try and call them.”

“Do it!” Tommy walked over to Noh-Varr’s chair.

Meanwhile, Teddy stared at America who was awfully silent. She was clenching her fists and muttering words in Spanish that his universal translator easily deciphered for him. As she kept speaking in her absent-mindedness, Teddy noticed some odd words.

Teddy quietly walked over to America. “What do you mean?”

America’s eyes widened as she looked up to Teddy. “Excuse me?”

“You said you didn’t realize that the Demiurge was so stupid. You spoke as though you already knew something about Billy...or Demiurge.”

The others started to look over to America too as they picked up on the conversation. Loki started to grin as he saw that America got caught almost as easily as he did.

America sighed. “I’m not from this universe. Or this multiverse.”

“Huh?” said Kamala. 

“My world is called the Utopian Parallel. It sits outside of the multiverse,” said America, “and. And it neighbors the Demiurge’s domain.”

Teddy squinted his eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means,” finished Loki, “that Demiurge created Ms. Chavez’s world. Therefore, William is her progenitor god.”

Tommy shook his head. “Then you knew what Billy was supposed to become. And, did you know this was going to happen!” Tommy moved closer to America, looking as though he was going to punch her when Noh-Varr caught up to him.

America took a deep breath as she stared at Tommy. “I had no idea. I grew up hearing stories of Demiurge as a brave hero before becoming god, but I had no idea this would happen. Or how to save him. I left the Utopian Parallel as a child after my moms died saving it from black holes because I wanted to prove myself as a hero like them and Demiurge.”

“So that’s your story.” Kate smirked. “Wow...I hadn’t pictured that to be your origin.”

“Tell me about it.” Kamala dropped back to the floor with wide eyes. “It reads almost like fan fiction.”

Before another word could be said, an orange portal opened in the middle of the Quinjet. Everyone jumped back as Wanda teleported into the ship.

Tommy immediately threw himself at Wanda, hugging her tightly. “Mom!”

“Thomas!” Wanda hugged him back. “I’m so glad you’re safe. Where’s your brother?”

Loki stroked his chin. “Well, Ms. Maximoff...I hate to be the one to say this, but William signed a contract with Mother to save Midgar, but the price was his surrendering.”

Wanda gasped as she hung onto Tommy’s arm. She turned to Tommy who only nodded. “No! Why would he?” Wanda sighed. “I know why. His heart’s too good.”

“But you’re going to save him, right?” asked Teddy. “Did you and Strange come up with a plan to stop Mother?”

Wanda nodded. “We believe so. Mother’s spell, although remarkably powerful, is vulnerable to cosmic radiation. We hope to bombard the city with enough cosmic power to prevent Mother’s spell from spreading further.”

“How do you plan on doing that?” asked Eli.

“You’ll see. Get this jet to New York. We have a demon to defeat.”

*~*

A pair of golden lights rocketed across the skies of New York, making their way to Times Square where they knew the battle would take place.

Carol Danvers and Monica Rambaeu stopped then transitioned to just floating. The waves of golden light that rushed from their body repelled threads of dark light that tried to ensnare themselves around the pair. 

Monica’s eyes burned with energy as she wore her white and black uniform as she had since taken on the moniker of Spectrum. “Well, Auntie Carol, it looks like Strange was right. Our cosmic powers make us immune to this devil’s spell.”

Carol floated closer to Monica for her own protection. Even though Monica was grown now, Carol couldn’t help but feel very protective of her Lieutenant Trouble. “Then let’s get to work. It’s all up to you and me, kiddo.”

They joined hands as the golden light around them grew even brighter. Their light illuminated the city with their powers finally putting a damper onto Mother’s magic. While they weren’t able to reverse her mind control spell, they could finally prevent it from spreading.

And that meant the heroes finally had a fighting chance.

Meanwhile, a Quinjet flew over the Hudson for the heart of Times Square. The Quinjet left itself suspended in the air as the occupants jumped out.

The Young Avengers, Loki, and Wanda entered the city with Wanda’s magic creating waves of scarlet-pink light that allowed them to land safely. They found that arriving at the battlefield and stopping the spread of Mother’s spell would be the only easy part of this mission.

The thousands of possessed people turned their attention away from the building where Mother conducted her ritual. Now, their eyes focused on these heroes as they unleashed a deathly wail as they started to rush after the heroes.

Loki threw a green fireball to the ground. The magic spread outward to generate a shockwave that repelled some of the people from advancing any closer. “Well, I didn’t assume that me getting my soul back would warrant in possibly dying. At least not this way.”

America cracked her knuckles as she started to float in the air. “You better be grateful for Billy’s sacrifice, Loki! And you better do your damndest to save him.” 

“Don’t question my loyalty, Ms. Chavez. William saved my soul so I will save his.”

Tommy raced through much of the crowd to take care of some of the immediate trouble before blurring back to the team. Several people fell to the ground, eliminating some of the threats, while thousands more remained. “Enough with the chit-chat! We have to save my idiot, little brother!”

“And we will.” Bolts of scarlet-pink light flared around Wanda as she started to fly towards the building where Mother conducted the ritual. However, before she could advance any closer, lightning bolts bombarded her.

Teddy flew in to catch Wanda before she could crash. As he flew them to safety, they soon learned of the bigger troubles they would have to face before they could rescue Billy.

Joining the crowd of possessed civilians was none other than the possessed Avengers. Sam, Bucky, Rhodey, Jen, and Jane stared over at the adversaries of Mother with an emotionless expression. Even as they showed signs before when Billy disrupted Mother’s spell of fighting back against Mother, they were powerless before her magic. And now they would have to fight again.

“I hate fighting friends,” said Teddy, “but we have no other choice.” He flew Wanda to the ground so that she could walk on her own.

Luckily for them, orange portals opened up all around them before the civilians and possessed Avengers could attack.

Doctor Strange led the other heroes out of the Sanctum Sanctorum to join in on the battle. Everyone joined in on the fighting except for Wong to ensure the Sanctum’s protection and for Steve who was too old to get in on this fight. “I figure you’d need the backup!” said Strange.

Kate drew an arrow from her quiver. “You damn right we do!”

Peter swung around them on several webs before landing next to Eli. He looked out to the crowd and quickly found his friend, Ned, amongst the possessed. “This won’t be fun, but it has to be done. We’ll go easy on them, right?”

“Of course.” Eli raised his shield. “Avengers, assemble!”

“Not all of us are Avengers!” said Jessica. “But we’ll join you either way!” She led the charge with the other street-level heroes following behind as they went to war against Mother’s forces.

While the battle raged in the city as Carol and Monica repelled Mother’s spell, the ritual on the rooftop grew darker. There was an explosion of violet energy that ascended towards the sky that spread outward. It didn’t harm Carol or Monica, but for the magic-users in the area like Wanda and Strange, they could sense they were running out of time.

In a matter of moments, Mother would take everything that she needed from Billy.

*~*

Waves of infernal magics rippled across the garden as Mother’s ritual caused the sky to turn violet. Even as Carol and Monica continued to produce enough cosmic waves to stall Mother’s mind control, they weren’t strong enough to disrupt the ritual itself.

There was no greater proof of that then the agonizing screams that escaped from Billy as Mother continued to chant in demonic tongues. 

Mother fell to her knees with her body thrashing about. Magic gushed from her body and to the casket and Billy. The presence of such demonic power inflicted an immense amount of pain onto Billy’s soul as the violation threatened to rip him asunder.

Billy reminded himself of why he was doing this. Surrendering himself to Mother was the only way he could assure the Earth and everyone he loved’s safety. Even as so many tears ran down his cheeks and every nerve in his body screamed like he was on fire, Billy fought to preserve as much of himself as he could. Even as he knew that Moridun would take over his body soon. And that would mean slow, agonizing death.

This was what had to be done.

Billy’s spine felt like it got punched when Mother’s magic forced him to jerk himself upward. He stifled a scream. In the process, his head tilted back enough for him to catch a glimpse of a dark void escaping from the casket. It finally dawned on Billy that the casket contained whatever remained of Moridun.

“Rise, my son. Rise and take your host!” Mother said, finally speaking in a language that Billy could understand.

The void rushed over to Billy and began to enter his body, causing Billy to scream even louder than before.

*~*

On the streets, the battle appeared truly pitiful even with all these heroes present.

Matt and Danny stood back to back as they used their martial arts skills to fight civilians. They focused on knocking out civilians since they were skilled enough to perform lethal blows. The few times that Danny used his Iron Fist abilities in the hopes of neutralizing the possession proved fruitless as Mother’s magic was too strong for the Iron Fist.

Meanwhile, Jessica and Luke worked on shoving civilians aside. Due to their strength, they couldn’t go at full power so they focused their strength on crowd control. It was the best they could do while keeping themselves from being completely overwhelmed. 

Misty, Patsy, and Colleen faired just as well as they repelled civilian attackers. Misty really wished she had cops for backup when she remembered that they were most likely under Mother’s spell too. 

Talos and Soren flew into the fray too. They used their combat experience from years fighting in the Kree-Skrull Wars to easily repel the possessed civilians. However, even with their years of experience, the sheer number of people that they were forced to fight quickly began to tire them out. 

Further down the street, Peter worked on battling both Sam and Bucky since he had enough experience fighting them both during the superhero civil war. He swung between buildings to avoid Sam’s airborne attacks before landing on the ground to find Bucky and a group of civilians working on surrounding him.

Peter gulped as he blocked an incoming punch from Bucky just as Sam came behind him. Before Sam could attack Peter, a shield struck Sam in the chest. 

Eli jumped over a car and kicked a civilian in the chest before he ran over to join Peter as they worked on repelling Bucky.

Kate got on higher ground. She found a low rooftop where she could fire trick arrows at the civilians. She quickly ran out of cable arrows and smokescreen arrows to capture and disorient civilians from attacking. She cursed her luck as she jumped off the roof with Kamala stretching over to catch her.

The two landed on the ground and fought off the civilians as best they could. Kate pummeled some with her bow, while Kamala stretched her body in every way possible to beat them.

Above them, America flew after Jane as they had their round two. Lightning crackled everywhere as Jane fired at America only to narrowly miss. America punched a portal and flew through it then reemerged behind Jane to hit her good.

It hardly did any good though as Jane could recover quickly. Jane flung Mjolnir after America with it taking everything America had just to catch the hammer even as she couldn’t do much else.

Luckily for America, Noh-Varr flew in to back her up. Noh-Varr bombarded Jane with laser blasts that did show signs of slowing Jane down. However, it also pissed Jane. More lightning cracked in every direction as Noh-Varr and America did evasive maneuvers to avoid getting shocked.

Back on the ground, Tommy worked on crowd control too. As much as he wanted to race up the building to rescue Billy, he couldn’t leave the rest of his friends behind with such numbers. He ran through the city to hit every possessed civilian that he could, but there were just too many. He lost count of how many people he hit after two thousand.

Teddy stayed on the ground as he worked with Tommy on crowd control. He would throw as many punches as he could. He was losing his breath though. Exhaustion was quickly catching up to him as they were quickly being overwhelmed with such large numbers.

Teddy’s temporary breather would come to a screeching halt when a repulsor blast went off next to him. He took to the sky to chase after Rhodey before he could shoot another blast at him.

Meanwhile, Wanda used her magic to restrain Jen before she could demolish the area. To cage a gamma monster took an immense amount of power and focus that Wanda was quickly running out of as she had civilians trying to attack her too. She floated in the air to get some distance, but it also meant her cage was slowly weakening.

“Forgive me, Jen. It’s for your own good.” Wanda opened a portal beneath Jen’s feet. Jen fell into the portal, landing somewhere in the middle of the Mojave Desert.

Loki fired a ring of magic at a crowd of civilians to trap them in chains. He smirked from having his full magical potential back when he turned back to find Strange floating towards him. “Please tell me you’re not going to toss me into an infinite chasm again.” 

“Behave and I won’t,” said Strange. “In fact, now that you have your soul back, I could use your help for a spell.”

“What could the Sorcerer Supreme want with a humble trickster?”

“Cut the bullshit, Loki, and help me.”

Loki nodded as he channeled his power over to Strange. A ring of orange and green magic gathered between them both as it released a shockwave that caused their foes to stumble.

However, Laufey jumped into the middle of things.

Laufey roared with laughter as he raised his club. “Finally, my miserable spawn will die! If only you had the decency to die when I abandoned you.”

Loki pulled focus away from Strange’s spell. He positioned a hand over towards Laufey, erecting a wall of green magic to shield him from the incoming club. The barrier withstood Laufey’s attack, but it would break eventually if Loki didn’t do something else.

“Then you tricked me into attacking Asgard, not once but twice! I perished because of your blind ambition to rule the Nine Realms!”

“Shouldn’t you be proud of me, father?” Loki pushed at the barrier to repel Laufey’s advances. The magic surged outward to cause Laufey to lose some momentum. “Ruling the Nine Realms was your dream too. And I actually held the crown, albeit, briefly.”

Loki chuckled, while green fire gathered around his feet. “That’s it, isn’t it? You’re just jealous that I succeeded where you failed? I made the Laufeyson name legendary. But then I did what you must find disgusting. I abandoned it.”

The green fire spread outward to repel the incoming civilians too. Loki pulled his magic away from Strange as he turned his full attention to Laufey now. 

Bands of green magic wrapped themselves around Laufey’s arms, legs, and throat. Loki held all the cards now that he was back at his full power. “You are responsible for my birth, Laufey, but you needn’t worry about being my parent or even my family. I know who my true family is. My father is Odin, the weary king who taught me the wisdom of ruling! My mother is Frigga, the kindest soul across the Nine Realms who taught me the secrets of magic and loved me as her own son. And my brother...my idiot brother, Thor, the fool who challenged me at every turn and yet would still risk himself for me.”

The magic started to tug at Laufey’s limbs as Loki slowly tore him apart. “They are my family. Not you so don’t worry about claiming me as your son any longer!”

“Loki!” cursed Laufey.

Loki unleashed a blast of magic from his hand. The blast tore through Laufey’s chest and set his entire body on fire with green flames. And then there was nothing left of Laufey as Loki reduced him to nothing.

“Loki!” Strange’s voice echoed across the street.

A smirk spread across Loki’s face. “No worries, my friend. I haven’t forgotten about you.” Loki channeled his power to Strange once more. This time it went on uninterrupted, which allowed a complicated seal to form around Strange that orbited around him.

The rapid motions of the seals finally erupted in golden light that spread across the immediate vicinity. Soon countless bodies began to drop to the ground with a silver lining finally appearing.

Strange opened his eyes as he saw even the possessed Avengers fall to the spell. “Wanda! Go to William now. The spell won’t render them unconscious for long.”

Wanda nodded. Scarlet-pink light gathered around her as she flew towards the top of the building. And with much of the threat passed, Tommy and Teddy soon joined her. Teddy raced up the building as Teddy flew after Wanda as they too wanted to rescue Billy.

*~*

Wanda, Tommy, and Teddy reached the rooftop where Mother conducted her ritual. And what they saw was a horrific sight.

A storm of dark energy surrounded both Mother and Billy. Within the storm, a cloud of blackness poured its way into Billy as his cries echoed across the demented garden. The violet sky over them grew darker too as they could sense whatever Mother was doing to Billy was near completion.

Tommy tore his goggles off. “She’s killing him! We have to stop her.”

“No.” Wanda stepped in front of Tommy and Teddy. “I have to stop her. You, two, keep your distance. And if you see the chance to grab Billy then do it and get as far away from here as you can.”

“But mom!”

“Don’t question me, Thomas! Just do as I tell you.”

Tommy was about to argue when Teddy grabbed his arm. Teddy pulled him closer to his bulky, Skrull frame. “Understood, Ms. Maximoff,” said Teddy.

Wanda smirked. “Thank you, Teddy.”

Wanda threw herself towards the storm. She bombarded the storm that caged Mother and Billy with countless blasts of scarlet magic. Her attacks rippled across the storm as though it did nothing until she noticed Mother wincing from the strain.

Even if the attacks only proved to be a minor annoyance, Wanda kept on attacking. She would do whatever it took to get the slightest opening she would need to ensure Billy’s rescue.

Finally, a tear emerged along the storm. It was needle-thin, but one that the trained eye of a witch could pick up on. Wanda spread her arms apart to create a larger opening that she could jump through.

Wanda stood within the storm now. She saw the darkness pour into Billy as he laid on a concrete slab, thrashing about from the pain. She didn’t know exactly what Mother was doing, but seeing the casket that the darkness emerged from told her everything she needed to know.

Wanda fire a blast of magic at the casket.

Mother lost focus of the ritual for a moment as she felt the psychic whiplash of her son being attacked. She glared behind her to find Wanda standing before her. “How dare you attack my son!”

“How dare you harm mine!”

“The boy surrendered himself to me. He signed his name in blood.” Mother stood on her feet. Bands of dark energy gathered around her arms as she fired a blast at Wanda. “You have no business being here! He agreed to this arrangement.”

A wave of scarlet energy gathered around Wanda. She resisted against Mother’s attack with all her might. “I don’t care! I will not allow you to defile my son with your demonic stretch, Lilith!”

Mother’s eyes darkened as she unleashed more power against Wanda. “You speak my name yet slur me! How dare you, little witch.”

Wanda smirked even from the strain of Mother’s attack. “I do dare.” She redirected just a small portion of her magic away from the barrier. A ball of scarlet energy gathered at her hand that she flung at the casket once more.

The casket fell from its podium and crashed to the ground. It cracked ever so slightly with the darkness that poured into Billy appearing to be temporarily disrupted.

However, that action was enough to set Mother to a rage. “Moridun!”

Mother paid no attention to her rational side as her protective instincts took over. She ripped Wanda’s barrier apart before bombarding her with magic arrows she just conjured.

Three arrows pierced Wanda’s chest and caused her to gasp as she fell.

“Mom!” screamed Tommy as he ran towards her side. Teddy was right behind him as they both dropped to their knees with Tommy cradling Wanda in his arms as blood gushed from her body.

Mother smiled until she felt something was wrong. Her eyes widened as her rationality returned and she realized the magnitude of what she just did. “No! The contract!”

The darkness surrounding Billy faded as his screaming ceased. Darkness poured out from Billy’s body and flooded the cracked casket. Mother ran towards Moridun’s casket as she attempted to use her magic to restart the ritual.

The damage was done though.

Billy’s vision returned to normal. He expected his will to be gone by now when he heard crying. He tilted his head to the side then found Wanda, Tommy, and Teddy. It took a moment longer for him to process what he was seeing, which is what caused him to gasp. He looked at how terrifyingly still Wanda’s body appeared to be as there were mystical arrows piercing her chest.

“Mommy,” whispered Billy as tears poured from his eyes. Then he recalled the contract of the clear demand he made. “Mother!”

A shockwave of blue magic ripped from Billy’s body. He floated in the air with his still burning nerves silenced as only righteous fury remained. His eyes turned pitch black as wave after wave of blue magic rippled across him. His cape billowed in the breeze as the violet lights Mother projected and the cosmic, golden rays that Carol and Monica radiated were snuffed out.

Now, there was only darkness in the sky. 

Mother clung onto Moridun’s casket as she mourned her failure. She couldn’t allow it to end this way though. She needed to fight for Moridun. It didn’t matter that the contract became void with her killing Wanda. She needed Billy’s power and she would have it.

Mother left the casket on the ground as she fired blasts of dark magic at Billy. “I will have your body and soul, Demiurge! You belong to me.”

Billy glared at Mother with his dark eyes. The magic she unleashed upon him died out as it approached him. He extended one finger out to her and bound all her magic at once, preventing her from doing any further harm.

“This ends here, Lilith.” Billy’s magic grew stronger as he spread his arms apart. Behind him emerged a six-pointed star that glowed with radiant, silver energy. “Begone, demon! Return to the pit where you belong!”

“No!” howled Mother. She tried once more to strike at Billy only to see her magic fail her.

Instead, Billy unleashed a blast of magic unlike any other. His body erupted in radiant light that swallowed Mother completely. Her screams echoed across the city as her physical form was completely vaporized and her essence was returned back to Hell.

All traces of Mother were wiped clean from the city. The possession of the Avengers and civilians ended as Billy restored their minds. And the lingering dark magic was erased too as Billy saw to it that nothing would remain of Mother. Even Moridun’s casket was returned to Hell where the demon spawn could be forgotten.

However, that did not mean peace on Earth.

Tommy clung onto Wanda’s body, still crying over her, while Billy’s power continued to rage.

*~*

A star-shaped portal opened up on the rooftop. America led the team there where they got a front-row view of Billy’s power.

Kamala stretched her hand enough to cover her eyes since things were so bright up here. “What is going on? Why is Billy going ballistic?” 

Lightning crackled from the sky. They all looked to see Carol and Monica falling fast until an orange portal opened up to catch them. No doubt that Strange rescued them from a major injury, but the scarier part was that they all knew Billy was responsible for striking Carol and Monica. And if Billy could seriously injure someone as powerful as Carol and Monica then the rest of them didn't stand a chance.

Loki gulped as he took a step back. “This is exactly what I feared. William is awakening as Demiurge.”

“But you said he wasn’t ready,” said Kate.

“He isn’t! If this continues then he will kill us all.”

Noh-Varr knelt beside Tommy. He reached out to touch Tommy on the shoulder, pulling him away from mourning over his mother’s body. “I’m sorry for your loss, Tommy, but we really need you,” Noh-Varr said, gently. “Billy is in danger.”

“I’ll save him.” Teddy grew his wings and was about to take to the sky when Eli grabbed his arm.

“You can’t get close to him!” said Eli. “He’ll lash out against you like he did to Carol and Monica.”

“We have to save him though!” said Teddy. “This is Billy.”

Cassie nodded. “But we have to be smart about it. Billy’s morphing into an all-powerful god! We can’t just throw ourselves at him and hope for the best.”

Tommy brushed his hand against Wanda’s cold cheek. Even if his existence was a brief one, the lifetime of memories he felt gave him the strength he needed. “No! That’s exactly what I need to do.” He gently laid Wanda flat on the ground before pushing himself back on his feet. He brushed his tears away then looked up to the sky to find a dome of magic circling around Billy now. “America, portal me inside Billy’s barrier.”

“Are you loco!” America shook her head. “Billy will kill you if you get that close.”

“He might,” said Tommy. “But that’s also the only way to stop him so just do it!”

America muttered how it was a bad idea. However, she didn’t defy his will as she stomped on the ground with a second portal starting to open within Billy’s barrier. Lightning arose from the portal and nearly struck them all.

It didn’t stop Tommy though. He ran around the lightning at such great speed that when everyone else blinked, Tommy already crossed through and was on the opposite end of the portal.

Falling through the portal, Tommy quickly threw his arms around Billy. A blast of lightning struck Tommy and his skin felt like it was on fire, but it wouldn’t stop him.

Tommy hugged Billy as tightly as he could. “Billy! Billy! You can’t allow this power to consume you. This isn’t like you. If you allow this power to get the best of you then you’ll kill everyone! That isn’t what you want. You don’t want to hurt the people you love or complete strangers.”

Billy’s hand twitched as he could hear Tommy speaking to him, but his rage was overpowering every part of him.

So Tommy knew he had to push harder. “I told you I would save you, Billy. I’m your big brother. It’s my duty to keep you safe, but it's more than just that. Even though you’re a fucking idiot! And you piss me off daily. And...and mom’s gone. And I know it hurts because I’m dying on the inside too, but, Billy, you can’t lose yourself to this pain. Because I need you too! You’re all I have left.”

Tommy kept on squeezing onto Billy even as he felt nothing but pain as Billy’s power grew increasingly unstable. “I love you. I love you with all my heart, Billy. I can’t lose you! Please don’t leave me all alone.”

Tears gushed out from Billy’s eyes as the storm around them finally began to quiet down. The attacks assaulting Tommy ceased and soon enough his injuries were healed as he felt them gently touching the rooftop. They both dropped to their knees. Tommy gave a deep sigh as it was finally over. He continued to hold onto Billy as he started to hear Billy cry.

“Mom. This is all my fault,” Billy cried as he buried his face against Tommy’s chest. He finally started to hug Tommy back as he desperately needed that contact. “Mom!”

Tommy leaned in to kiss Billy’s head. Tears ran down his face too. “It’ll be okay, Billy. We got each other.”

Everyone else watched in silence. They didn’t want to celebrate this victory over Mother as the price they paid for victory was one that they dreaded to experience.

Tommy and Billy wept together, mourning the loss of Wanda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and Comments are always appreciated. :)


	5. If We Have Each Other

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy early New Year to you wonderful readers! I decided to post the final chapter now since I had the motivation to keep on writing after the tragic finale of the last one. So please enjoy this chapter and also get hyped for the snippets I give you of what's coming next!
> 
> And this chapter's song choice is "If We Have Each Other" by Alec Benjamin.

Chapter 5: If We Have Each Other

“The Avengers and their allies saved New York from a demonic entity known as Mother. While the battle consumed much of Times Square, we are fortunate to report that there were no civilian casualties during the fighting. However, we are aware of about three dozen persons who we assume that Mother sacrificed to conduct her unholy rituals. And, it is with sadness in our hearts that we further report that the Avenger known as the Scarlet Witch, Ms. Wanda Maximoff, died during the battle. She is survived by twin sons who are members of the Young Avengers: Thomas Maximoff aka Speed and William Maximoff aka Wiccan. Our thoughts and prayers are with Thomas and William during this period of mourning.”

For days now that same broadcast aired on every news outlet. The heroes were praised for their victory over Mother. Then the media directed their attention to Wanda’s death. Although, there was a time when much of the world hated her as they blamed her for accelerating the tragic deaths at Lagos, Nigeria for failing to contain Crossbones’ bomb and led to the drafting of the Sokovia Accords that ultimately resulted in the Avengers’ civil war.

And now the world pretended that Wanda was a beloved hero even as they turned against her once before.

Across town at a Jewish cemetery, the funeral service for Wanda Maximoff was held. 

Once again, the Avengers gathered to grieve the loss of another friend. The first being the brief service they held for Natasha, and the second they held for Tony after their victory over Thanos. 

It was another painful ceremony as friends and family alike gathered. The formerly possessed Avengers joined as well now that they were freed from Mother’s control. However, they wished their freedom hadn’t come with the price of Wanda’s life.

Tommy and Billy sat on chairs with their hands locked as they watched their mother’s casket slowly being lowered to the ground as a rabbi recited a prayer. They both had tears pouring down their faces as this was not a moment they expected to happen so soon. Even with the constant threat of death that being a superhero brought, they hoped that they would get to spend several years with their mother.

However, fate was not kind to them.

Behind Tommy and Billy stood the other members of the Young Avengers, which officially included America and Noh-Varr. They kept close, offering what little support they could for Tommy and Billy.

As the rabbi finished the prayer, the casket reached the ground. Tommy and Billy forced themselves to stand as they approach Wanda’s grave. Her tombstone was already there, signifying just how special she was as the epitaph read: “Wanda Maximoff. Hero. Friend. Mother.”

Tommy and Billy placed stones at Wanda’s tombstone before walking away. And one by one, the other attendees laid stones of their own to signify the memory and bond they shared with Wanda that would live on forever.

*~*

The memorial was held after the funeral at the Maximoff home. All pictures and mirrors were covered. And plenty of space was given to Tommy and Billy.

Pepper took a pile of dirty dishes away from Tommy. “Sweetie, I told you that I would handle everything. I got it covered. You just relax.”

Tommy smirked as he finally relinquished the dishes over to Pepper since there was no point in fighting. Pepper was almost as stubborn as Wanda was. “I’m sorry, Pepper. A bit of habit. The dishes are my job.” Tommy took a deep breath as he tried not to remember all the times that Wanda yelled at him for not handling the dishes. He curled his lips back before giving Pepper a smile. “And thank you again for covering the expenses for everything. Billy and I really appreciate it.”

“Of course. It’s no problem at all,” said Pepper. “And if you need anything else, please give me a call.”

“Thank you, Pepper. We will.”

Tommy walked out of the kitchen and started to make his way back to the memorial. Everyone was there. What he most appreciate seeing though were his teammates. Eli, Kamala, Cassie, Kate, America, and Noh-Varr were all there. They did their best to help keep the house tidy so that everything didn’t fall on Pepper’s shoulders. It made Tommy feel a little better as he really needed a little space now. He just started to straighten his tie when he got pulled into a hug by Clint.

Clint squeezed him tight before pulling back. Clint had tears in his eyes, which felt odd to Tommy as he hadn’t known Clint to be a crier. “I just want you, and your brother, to know that I’m watching out for you.” Clint sighed. “After your Uncle Pietro died, I made sure to watch out for your mom. Andー”

“I know.” Tommy squeezed onto Clint’s forearm. “Thanks, Clint. We appreciate it.” He gave Clint a quick hug before walking off once more.

Tommy walked around Strange as he finished lighting a row of candles.

Tommy grabbed the first glass of wine he could reach before making his way to the stairs. He was stopped once more though, but this time it was by Kate.

Kate took his hand and pulled him aside so that they had some semblance of privacy in the crowded house. “Hey. So I just wanted to tell you about my plans. I’m not heading to California anymore. I’m going to stick around here.”

“Why?” asked Tommy before he took a sip of his wine. “What about your mother?”

“It’s probably for the best to leave the past buried, don’t you think? Besides, you and Billy, and the team will need me around, especially since Cassie and Kamala are still leaving.”

Tommy shook his head as he placed his glass on a nearby table. “Hell no! Kate, you have to go to California. You need to find out the truth. You need to know what really happened to your mother.”

Kate brushed a tear away from her eye. “Are you sure?”

“Of course I am.” Tommy wrapped his arms around Kate. “You need to do this. If you don’t then you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

Kate hugged Tommy back. She pulled back and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Okay...I’ll go. But if things get hectic here or Billy accidentally summons another demon.”

Tommy tried to smile but his grief kept him from showing any other expression. “You’ll be the first to know. I promise.”

Kate gave Tommy another hug before she went back to help clean the place up.

And finally, Tommy had his chance to slip away. He grabbed his glass and ran upstairs to the second floor since nobody else was there. The party was contained to the first floor, luckily, while the second and third floors were off-limits. Mostly because Billy locked himself away in his room with Teddy as soon as they got back. If there was anyone that took Wanda’s death harder than Tommy then it was Billy, especially given the contract he signed with Mother.

Tommy chugged the glass. Although it was impossible for him to get even buzzed thanks to his speedster metabolism, the momentary sensation of alcoholic bliss was exactly what he needed. He sighed as he dropped his head against the banister.

There was the swishing of liquid next to Tommy’s ear. “Maybe the rest of the bottle will help.” Tommy looked up to find Noh-Varr standing next to him with a bottle of wine. Noh-Varr looked positively stunning in a suit. Under different circumstances, Tommy would want nothing more than to rip Noh-Varr out of that suit.

“Alcohol doesn’t work on me,” said Tommy.

“Not the Earth stuff.” Noh-Varr uncapped the cork and poured a glass for Tommy. “However, this is the Asgardian stuff. The good shit! Thor and Brunnhilde brought a case for you and said it should help.” 

Tommy took a sip then started to cough. “Holy!” He paused for a second before taking a long sip and finally started to smile. “Fuck. I can finally feel nothing.”

“Go easy though.” Noh-Varr took a sip directly from the bottle. “The Asgardians are a hearty people. If this can get them drunk then it will hit you hard too.”

“Noted.” Tommy hesitated for a second before taking another sip. He handed Noh-Varr the rest of his glass as he wasn’t sure he should try finishing it now. He already felt a little light-headed as his metabolism was struggling to catch up. And the last thing that needed to happen was for him to turn into a hot mess during his mother’s funeral.

Noh-Varr took the hint. He chugged the glass as the Kree were just as hearty as Asgardians. “So...you’re handling things surprisingly well.”

Tommy chuckled. “Don’t ask how I’m feeling then because I’m dying on the inside. I’m only holding it together because that one is a complete disaster.” He pointed up to the third floor as he no doubt meant Billy.

“I can understand that. But you shouldn’t allow that to stop you from grieving. She was your mother too.”

Tommy curled his lips and let out a deep breath. “I know. I’m just afraid that if I let it loose then there will be no stopping it.”

Noh-Varr reached out to grab Tommy’s hand. “Billy’s got Teddy to take care of him. He’ll be fine, he’s got his emotional sponge, but you also need the space to let go. That’s where I can come in if you’re interested. I can be that sponge for you.”

That was the last thing that Tommy needed to hear. Not because he wasn’t interested in Noh-Varr. No, it was that declaration that stabbed Tommy’s emotional dam and unleashed a flood.

Tommy threw his arms around Noh-Varr as he started to finally cry, and cry hard.

Noh-Varr held onto Tommy, gently rubbing his back before kissing him.

*~*

Upstairs, there was more mourning.

Billy clung onto his blanket as he cried into his pillow. Teddy reverted to his Skrull form and sat beside him, gently rubbing his back too. 

“It’ll be okay, Billy. Maybe not right now, and certainly not tomorrow, but you’ll heal,” said Teddy.

“No, I won’t.” Billy pulled the blanket away and rolled his back against the wall. “This was all my fault, Teddy! I got my mom killed. Lilith only came to Earth because she wanted my powers. If it wasn’t for me then my mom would still be alive.”

Billy curled his hands to his chest. “If I was never born thenー”

Teddy threw himself at Billy. He grabbed onto Billy’s wrist and looked him directly in the eyes. “Never say that. Don’t even think it! Billy, you are amazing. I told you before that I think you’re the sweetest boy in the universe.”

“But...”

“But nothing.” Teddy pulled Billy into his arms as he laid them both down on the mattress. He squeezed onto Billy as tightly as he could. “Wanda dying is not your fault. You already know that your mom would sacrifice herself to save you or Tommy in a heartbeat. She loved you both that much. A good parent would gladly make that sacrifice to protect their child.”

Teddy rubbed Billy’s back as he felt Billy cry against his shirt. “Don’t dishonor your mom’s death by giving up on your life. Live for her. Keep moving forward and take your memories of her with you.”

Billy held onto Teddy, scooting as close as he could to him. “It hurts so much, Dorrek.”

Teddy frowned. Billy wouldn’t use his real name unless it was serious. “I know, William. I know, and it should. But just remember that I’m going to be here for you. I won’t go anywhere so long as you need me.”

“I love you, Dorrek,” Billy said between crying.

Teddy gently stroked Billy’s scalp. “I love you too, William. So much.”

*~*

At Young Avengers HQ, the team gathered together for what felt like the final time. Everyone was there except for Billy and Tommy, which wasn’t unexpected. And now America and Noh-Varr joined them so it helped to make the place a little smaller.

Steve sat near the monitor while watching the team. He smiled while finally getting back on his feet. “Well...I can honestly say that you’ve all impressed me. I was worried about when Jen and Wanda contacted me about forming this team. I didn’t want to risk putting anyone so young in danger, especially against threats as large as the ones you’ve faced.” Steve shook his head as he hooked his hands together. “I’m so glad that I can eat those words. You’ve proven yourselves as true Avengers. And I can finally retire knowing that the next generation is ready to face everything that the universe will throw at them.”

Lots of smiles greeted Steve as well as tears. Kate, Kamala, Cassie, and Teddy. brushed their tears away. Surprisingly, Eli was amongst the teary-eyed as he felt a deep connection with Steve after all the time they spent together. 

Eli went over to Steve and shook his head. “Thank you, sir. We won’t let you down.”

“I know you won’t. Because you’ll do better than we did.” Steve patted Eli on the shoulder too before going over to Kate, Kamala, and Cassie. “I’m sorry to see you three leave us too. But I also understand why you made that decision. Just know that no matter what, you are always Avengers and you will always be welcomed back.”

“Thanks, Steve,” said Kate as she hugged him. 

“We really appreciate it, Mr. Rogers,” said Kamala as she went to hug him next.

“It was a pleasure working with you, Cap.” Cassie hugged him with Steve smirking as he started to think just how much Cassie reminded him of Scott.

Steve then went over to Teddy. They shook hands as well before Teddy went in for a hug. Steve gladly accepted it as he knew just how badly Teddy needed the comfort from the dark circles around his eyes. “You take care of yourself, Teddy. I know you want to be there for Billy, and Tommy, as much as possible, but your health needs to be a priority too.”

“It is. It will be.” Teddy pulled back as he brushed some more tears away. “Thank you for everything, Captain.”

Steve parted ways from the team he trained to meet the newest recruits. “I’m sorry that I didn’t get to spend more time with you two. I’m sure that you would’ve frustrated the heck out of me, but I would’ve enjoyed every minute of it.” Steve smirked as he got a laugh out of Noh-Varr and America. “And let me just formally welcome you both to the Avengers.”

“Thank you, Captain America.” Noh-Varr shook Steve’s hand.

“And don’t worry about these jokers.” America started to shake Steve’s hand next. “Marvel Boy and I will keep an eye on them.”

Steve raised his eyebrows. “Marvel Boy?” Noh-Varr winked at Steve as it became clear that was his codename. Steve started to chuckle as he picked up on the connection since so much of his story was like Carol’s. He then turned his eyes onto America. “And what does that make you? Miss America?”

“Pretty basic, but it has a nice ring to it,” said America. “I can go with that until I think of something better.”

“I’m sure you will.” Steve went back to the monitor. He grabbed a folder that he left behind on there that he then presented to Eli. “Given how things are changing for the Young Avengers, I took the initiative to find potential recruits. These two seem pretty exceptional. I highly recommend you approach them before they think up something better.”

Eli went through the folder and started speed reading through it. “Amadeus Cho. Riri Williams. I can see why you have your eyes on them. We’ll be sure to get in contact with them.”

“Act quickly because I have a feeling those two will find better offers. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be paying Billy and Tommy a visit. I owe them a proper goodbye too.” Steve gave his final farewells to the team before he started to make his way out of the headquarters.

With Steve gone, things certainly started to feel very different. In particular, Eli picked up on how things were going to change as he looked at who was leaving the team and who was joining. And while he still had Teddy around, he worried over whether or not Tommy and Billy would stick around.

Eli swallowed those fears though as that was the problem for another day. Right now, he wanted to focus on something more positive. “So...let’s give Noh and America a tour! Then we can see about planning their welcome party.”

“Oh!” Noh-Varr said with an excited smirk spreading across his face. “I do enjoy partying.”

Cassie bumped into Noh-Varr’s arm. “You do strike me as a party boy.”

America dug her hands into her jacket. “What about our uniforms? Are we getting proper uniforms?”

“Those are in the works,” said Kate. “Don’t worry, they’ll be ready as soon as you get on the field.”

“Sweet.”

*~*

The tour went pretty well as the team made their new teammates feel very welcome. Since it was getting late, they would schedule the party for tomorrow night since that would also give them a chance to see if Billy and Tommy were open to joining them.

As everyone left the headquarters, America went back to the place she was crashing out. She would be packing up the few things she owned and would move into the headquarters since there were a few bedrooms. Noh-Varr would also be her roommate too as he had no other place to stay since Loki disappeared along with the place he previously slept in. All Loki left behind was a box of all Noh-Varr’s belongings.

America found her situation far less humiliating as it didn’t look like a bad breakup.

She was halfway down the block when she heard Teddy calling her. She stopped and buried her hands into her pockets once more. She didn’t even blink as Teddy had already shifted back into his Earthling disguise. “What’s up, space prince?”

Teddy sighed. “I’ve...I’ve been wanting to ask you something for a while now. Before we fought Mother, I had a talk with Loki.”

America rolled her eyes. Not because what Teddy said was ridiculous, but because she could already picture what Loki told him. “Uh-huh. And what did that little asshole have to say?”

“Basically, he mocked Billy and I’s relationship. He said it was doomed to failure since Billy’s eventually going to become Demiurge.”

America crossed her arms over her chest. “And? Where do I fit into this?”

Teddy gulped. “Billy will one day create your homeland and you said you grew up hearing stories of him...did any of those stories say what happened between me and him?”

“Oh boy.” America sighed as she started to step back. Luckily, the streets were mostly cleared as it was starting to get late so she didn’t accidentally run into anyone. “That’s the million-dollar question. I...I’m not comfortable going into any serious detail about yours or anyone else’s potential future.”

“So you do know what will happen to me?”

America shrugged. “On an abstract level. The stories I grew up with weren’t as detailed as you want to believe. I didn’t know Billy’s called Wiccan or that he’s part of the Young Avengers. The stories were vaguer than that. The only thing that I can say is that it was said Demiurge had a partner before ascending to godhood, but it wasn’t clear what had happened to him. Some stories said that Demiurge’s partner died long ago, while others claim that Demiurge gifted him with immortality so that they would be together for eternity.”

Teddy’s lips curled and he slowly stuffed his hands into his pockets. It wasn’t a definitive answer like he hoped to hear, but it was a clearer answer than he would’ve gotten from Loki. And it was certainly one that sounded far more hopeful. “Thanks, America.”

“Don’t let these stories dictate anything though.” America walked forward so that they stood closer together. “Whatever happens between you and Billy is what will happen. I get you that love Billy but don’t let these stories dictate who you should become. Just be what Billy needs here and now.”

Teddy nodded his head. “You’re right. I shouldn’t let this potential future define who I am today. I need to focus on who I need to be now.”

America smirked. “Be the best you that you can be.” She gave Teddy a fistbump. And given how strong they both were, they struck each other pretty hard. Hard enough that they caused a nearby car alarm to go off as their fistbump cracked as loud as thunder.

They started to laugh while they ran down the street together to get away before they got into any trouble.

*~*

Billy walked up the steps to his house and stepped around the mountains of flowers left behind by visitors. The sympathy flowers got out of hand earlier as dozens of bouquets were delivered to the house that it got to the point where Billy and Tommy had to release a statement asking people not to deliver flowers or to only leave behind a single flower. The statement curtailed a lot of flower deliveries, but it was still pretty out of hand.

Billy plucked a few of the flowers though before stepping inside. He kicked his shoes off and placed the flowers into a nearby vase that still had some freshwater in it. He went into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water when he picked up something odd.

The wards around the house were different now. The ritual Billy attempted to cast to summon Teddy’s moms also weakened what remained of the protection. And with Wanda gone, it meant all the protections she placed were gone too. Then Strange applied new wards to protect the house with Billy doing the same. 

However, there was a slight disturbance as Billy noticed that someone else was here. Correction. Billy realized he brought something inside with him.

He quickly grabbed a knife from the dish rack only to find an emerald vase of white tulips on the middle of the countertop. He carefully approached the flowers as there was a note left behind.

“I understand the pain of losing a mother better than anyone,” Billy said as he read the note aloud. “You have my sincerest condolences. And my thanks for restoring my soul. Should you ever need a trickster, I will be at your beck and call. Loki Odinson.”

Billy smirked as he tossed the card back on the countertop. He looked over to the vase near the entryway and saw that the flowers he placed there were gone. No doubt Loki had been here and left an enchantment behind to leave his gift behind. Billy could only pray that Loki was as sincere as he claimed.

Billy started to make his way upstairs as he had a “Going Away” and “Welcome” party to change for. The fact that this was the first day in a week where he wasn’t a sobbing mess left him confident in going out in public, but also part of him worried that he would have another breakdown soon. Maybe he really should consider seeing that grief counselor that Pepper recommended. 

If only he could remember where he left the card for the office of Jeff and Rebecca Kaplan.

As Billy climbed up to the second floor, he picked up on the sound of sobbing coming from his mother’s bedroom. He took a deep breath as he kept his distance from that room as he knew it was something he wasn’t ready to deal with. But given that the only other person who would be in the house, and would certainly be crying, was Tommy, Billy quietly went into the room.

Everything was left untouched as Wanda last left it. When Billy stepped inside, he was immediately hit with the smell of Wanda’s perfume. And there on the bed was Tommy, curled up in a ball as he cried into one of the pillows. 

Billy slowly climbed into the bed and laid beside Tommy. He conjured a box of tissues for Tommy as he started to realize that Billy was there now. “I was wondering when you were going to breakdown. I haven’t seen you cry at all since the funeral. Here I was starting to think you were too busy swapping spit with Noh-Varr to process your feelings.”

Tommy kept on sobbing even as Billy showed no signs of crying. “That’s...that’s because of you, dummy.” Tommy pulled his hand away and rubbed all the tears and snot on his face into a tissue. “I figured that only one of us could be out of commission at a time. And since you’re the baby, you got dibs.”

Billy smirked as he could understand Tommy’s logic. “It’s not fair to you though. Just because you’re the big brother doesn’t mean you have to be the emotionless one all the time. You’re entitled to your feelings too.”

“We both know that you feel enough for the both of us.” Tommy blew his nose.

Sparks of blue light gathered around Billy’s hand as he summoned a Gatorade bottle from downstairs. He handed the bottle of blue liquid over to Tommy. “If you’re going to cry then you need to stay hydrated. Crying headaches are a serious bitch.”

“Thanks.”

Billy rested his head on another pillow. He took a deep breath and breathed in Wanda’s scent. “We’ll be okay. Right? Even though neither one of us knows how to be an adult, we got this.”

Tommy gulped about half the bottle before finally stopping to breathe. He nodded as he went back to laying on the bed. “We’ll look out for each other. It shouldn’t be that hard if we work together.” Tommy scooted over closer as he laid his head against Billy’s chest.

“I think you’re right.” Billy smiled as he ran his fingers through Tommy’s silver hair. “We’ll be okay so long as we have each other.”

“I love you, Billy.” 

“I love you too, Tommy.” Billy smirked. “So...you and Noh-Varr? Here I thought you were straight. Or were you just experimenting with Kate? Or is Noh-Varr the experiment?”

Tommy snorted. “People can be bi too, homo. Not everyone has to be just gay or straight.”

Billy chuckled. “My big, bi brother. I love it! I’m going to make a t-shirt with that on it.”

“Do it and I’ll kick your ass.”

“Oh, it's happening. I’m already picturing the designs.” 

As the words escaped Billy’s lips, his eyes turned pitch black. He wasn’t invoking any magic though nor was he aware of what was happening to him as darkness took root in his soul.

And that darkness’ name was Moridun.

*~*

Another week passed before Tommy made a proper return to Young Avengers’ headquarters. He felt exhausted from all the crying and grieving. He wanted nothing more than to return to the field and be a superhero again. Things were different though when he returned to the headquarters as all the changes went into effect.

Steve properly went back into retirement. Kamala returned to Jersey City. Cassie went back to San Francisco, while Kate moved down to Los Angeles. And now America and Noh-Varr were officially part of the team. Then there was Billy. Given what happened, Billy decided to take a temporary break from the team until he finished sorting himself out. Everything changed, and Tommy wasn’t sure how he’d deal.

Tommy stood outside the front entrance as he couldn’t quite bring himself to enter.

Noh-Varr slipped behind Tommy, which actually startled Tommy. Noh-Varr chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Tommy’s waist. “I didn’t think you could scare a speedster.”

“You’re pretty quick too, Marvel Boy.” Tommy tilted his head back to kiss Noh-Varr. Although it was weird kissing a stubbly face since he previously was kissing Kate, it was a happy change, unlike the others. Tommy gently squeezed Noh-Varr’s forearms.

“Oh, I’m quick in all the right ways.” Noh-Varr squinted his eyes. “That sounded better in my head. Forget I said that. Let’s just get inside.” He pressed his thumb on the scanner. The door started to unlock as he moved his arms away from Tommy and started to walk inside when he noticed Tommy wasn’t budging. “Are you okay? It’s not too soon for you to come back, is it?”

Tommy shook his head. “It’s just starting to get a bit real. It’s a lot to take on at once.”

Noh-Varr held his hand out to Tommy. “Then we can do it together.”

Tommy smiled and took Noh-Varr’s hand. “Okay...I think I can manage that.” They walked inside together to find their teammates in the lounge area with the TV on.

Eli, Teddy, and America smirked over at them as they were finally together.

Eli got up from his seat and took a seat on the coffee table so that he was a little closer to Tommy. “Hey, Tommy. Can we talk?”

“What kind of talk?” Tommy pulled his hand away from Noh-Varr and started pointing at Eli. “Are you trying to kick me off the team becauseー”

“No!” Eli chuckled as he raised his hands. “That’s not it. I actually wanted to talk to you about the future of the team. Aside from trying to recruit Amadeus and Riri, I’ve been talking to everyone else about you. Given what happened with Mother and how well you took charge.”

America bit the bullet for them. “What Eli’s trying to say, we were thinking of making you the team leader.”

Tommy’s eyes went wide as that was the last thing he ever expected anyone to say. Who in their right mind would want him as a team leader? “You’re joking, right? You want me in charge?”

“You were basically in charge since we fought Mother,” said Eli. “Hell, you were taking point a lot of the time when we were fighting the Maggia.”

“Eli and Kate ran the team,” said Teddy, “and with Kate gone...it makes sense for you to take over.”

Tommy shook his head. “You’re not leaving too. Are you, Eli?”

“Not a chance! I love this team too much to leave.”

“Then…” Tommy smirked as he thought of a proper solution. “I have no business running this team by myself. As smart as I am, I would probably make things a disaster. So...why don’t you and I run it together just like you and Kate did? Co-leaders.”

Eli looked over to the others and saw no disagreements. “Alright. We’ll be co-leaders then.” He shook hands with Tommy. “It’s a pleasure to work with you, Mr. Co-leader.”

“Likewise, Mr. Co-leader.”

Noh-Varr chuckled as he leaned in close to Tommy. “So are there any perks with sleeping with the boss? Like do I get extra time off? Or a bonus.”

America snorted. “A bonus? Is that what we’re calling it now.”

Teddy covered his mouth to hide his laugh as he pictured what America meant. “Oh! That’s so wrong. I didn’t need that image in my head.”

Tommy rolled his eyes and ignored them both. He leaned back against Noh-Varr and found himself feeling some joy as he dove into an uncertain future with the team.

*~*

“Bartender! One more!”

A few moments, the bartender placed an old-fashioned in front of Loki.

Loki graciously took the drink and returned to his cabana on the beach. After all the time he spent under Mother’s thumb, Loki desperately needed a vacation. And what better place to chill than off the Caribbean?

He hardly looked out of place in his green speedos as many of the people around him were dressed in equally revealing bathing suits. He laid on a chair and took a sip from his drink. “Ah! Now, this is the life. So much better than fighting demons.”

As Loki finally started to relax though, there was a pulsating wave of energy that struck the beach. It caused everyone around Loki to scream as they ran to safety, while Loki only groaned in frustration as his glasses were blown off his face and he nearly spilled his drink.

“Who in Hel dares to interrupt my vacation? I swear on our father’s beard that if it's you, Thor, then I’m turning you into a frog again and leaving you that way!”

Loki jumped up from his chair with a ball of green fire forming in his hand. He was prepared for combat but paused when he noticed the odd figure that stood before him. “Who are you supposed to be? Don’t tell me that you figured out how to cheat death too, Starks?”

Standing on the beach was a figure dressed in armor much like the Iron Man armor that Tony Starks wore. However, this suit appeared far more organic and advanced then Starks’ tech. The red and silver armor shined brightly against the beach sun, but it was the helmet that took on a more organic form as Loki noticed a rather youthful-appearing face.

The stranger’s helmet retracted itself with pieces of it disappearing from nanites. And underneath the helmet was a young man with dark hair that barely looked a day older than eighteen. “Loki Odinson, I’m in need of your help. The timeline is in danger.”

Loki rolled his eyes as he took another sip of his drink. “And why should I help you, child? What do you know of the timeline?”

“My name is Nathaniel Richards, and I come from the thirtieth century.” The young man kept approaching Loki even with the threat of getting a fireball thrown at his face. “And you must help me or else time itself will be destroyed! You’re the only one who can save us all.”

“Again, why should I bother? I’ve done my part to save the universe.”

Nathaniel stomped his armored foot into the sand as he glared at Loki with his brown eyes. “Because if you don’t help me then Moridun will kill William Maximoff.”

Loki’s eyes went wide as he dropped his old-fashioned on the beach. “But...we stopped Mother from using William as a vessel. Moridun shouldn’t be a threat to anyone!”

“But you didn’t, at least not truly. Moridun already nested a piece of himself in William’s soul. And soon, Moridun will have the powers of Demiurge at his disposal and he will destroy all of time and space.”

Loki snapped his fingers. Webs of green magic washed over his body. His speedo disappeared as he conjured a proper suit for him to wear. “Then we should be off, Iron Boy. We have a Demiurge to save and I have a debt to repay.”

Nathaniel smiled as he walked alongside Loki to a green vortex he opened up. “Thank you, Loki. I knew you could be trusted. And, if I’m to have a codename then I preferred to be called Iron Lad.”

“Don’t care.” Loki and Nathaniel disappeared into the vortex as they had much to discuss.

*~*

Out in the depths of space, on a distant planet, the doors to an ancient palace slowly creaked open. A pair of bodies walked inside the empty chamber with the only light source coming from a bright-blue shape in the distance.

As they neared it, they found themselves standing before a sword with runes written on it in a language that only they knew how to comprehend.

The light from the sword touched their skin, revealing a pair of Skrull-like beings that gasped as they witnessed the sword vibrate.

“It has never done that before,” said one of them. “What could this mean?”

The other one gulped as he reached out to touch the sword and felt it was incredibly warm when it used to feel cold to the touch. “It means that the Age of the Hybrid is upon us. We must find Prince Dorrek; it is time for him to claim his birthright.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, if that doesn't get you excited about what's coming next then I don't know what will! 
> 
> I'm not sure if I'll post the next story either next week or the following week. Either way, brace yourselves for "Young Avengers: The Long Road Home." In it, the new Young Avengers will have to face one of their own as Moridun takes over Billy's body and mind. Will they manage to save him or will they have no choice but to kill one of their own? And how will Loki and Nathaniel's alliance defy the odds? Get ready for the next adventure!
> 
> Kudo and comments are always appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> Oh no? What stupid thing are you going to do now, Billy? And how will Loki make things worse? You'll just have to wait until next week to find out when Mother finally makes her "grand" appearance!
> 
> "C.L.A.T." by Aja, Alexis Michelle, Sasha Velour, and Peppermint.
> 
> Kudo and Comment!


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